England 7-0 Montenegro talking points at Wembley: Raheem Sterling not missed, but Joe Gomez boos were bizarre

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Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP14 November 2019

Sterling absence not felt in crushing victory

If Gareth Southgate had any lingering concerns that a stuttering display could highlight his controversial decision to drop Raheem Sterling, it'll have taken barely 20 minutes to banish them completely.

Sterling's bust-up with Joe Gomez overshadowed preparations for England's 1,000th match but once it began, his absence was rendered an irrelevance as England blew away Montenegro without their best player, running out 7-0 winners at Wembley.

It could scarcely have been more devastating with Sterling on the pitch and Marcus Rashford, who replaced Sterling, played his part in an electrifying attacking display by scoring the fourth goal.

It was embarrassingly easy, with Harry Kane bagging a hat-trick and goals for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tammy Abraham, while 'own goal' equalled Wayne Rooney's tally of 54.

Action Images via Reuters

Sterling's behaviour and Southgate's reaction could yet have consequences for England but his teammates responded in the best possible way and a similar performance against Kosovo on Sunday, when Sterling is expected to return, should further consign the affair to history.

Gomez boos bizarre

Action Images via Reuters

While Southgate and his players insisted pre-match that everyone had 'moved on' from the Sterling-Gomez incident, sections of the Wembley crowd regrettably had not.

The Liverpool player seemed to be greeted by a smattering of boos when he replaced Mason Mount for the final 20 minutes. It was a bizarre reaction to Gomez, who by all accounts has behaved impeccably since the incident and was, after all, the victim.

Agree or disagree with Southgate's decision, an attack on Gomez, albeit minor, was not the way to show it and it unhelpfully threatened to detract from an otherwise overwhelmingly positive night for England.

England secure top spot

Start planning your summer; England are going to Euro 2020. This victory not only guaranteed qualification for the finals but also ensured the Three Lions will finish top of Group A regardless of Sunday's result in Kosovo, courtesy of their superior head-to-head record against the Czech Republic.

Action Images via Reuters

It means England will play all three group games at Wembley next summer – a massive advantage – and if they qualify top, they will return to the national stadium for the semi-final and final after trips to Dublin and Rome.

Playing five of a possible seven matches at home really will give the Euros the feel of a home tournament, evoking memories of Euro '96 and the 1966 World Cup.

In the short-term, this victory means Gareth Southgate can use Sunday's trip to Pristina to either experiment or simply begin preparations for the tournament in earnest by bedding in his best team.

Chillwell nails down left-back

REUTERS

Southgate said back in September that he already knew a handful of his starting XI for the Euros but there was no doubt that a left-back was not among the select few.

The England manager has rotated between Ben Chilwell and Danny Rose since Ashley Young was eased out after the World Cup, and there has been relatively little to choose between the pair.

But a fine display, including a superb 24-minute hat-trick of assists – a pinpoint cross for Oxlade-Chamberlain's opener and two precise corners converted by Kane – gives Chilwell a significant edge going forward.

REUTERS

The left-back spot now seems Chilwell's to lose, particularly when you consider his domestic form for high-flying Leicester compared to Rose's error-strewn performances for Spurs.

Southgate midfield options boosted

Action Images via Reuters

Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley and Declan Rice have been Southgate's go-to midfielders for most of this year but England ended 2019 with a series of entirely different combination, which will give Southgate a welcome headache going forward.

Harry Winks was preferred to Rice at the base of midfield following an encouraging display in Bulgaria, while Mount and Oxlade-Chamberlain came in for club-mates Barkley and Henderson, injured and suspended respectively.

It took Oxlade-Chamberlain a little over 10 minutes to score his first international goal for 887 days and, having been singled-out by Southgate pre-match, his performance will give the manager pause for thought, particularly given that he is more dynamic and attacking than Henderson.

Getty Images

Winks meanwhile delivered another scampering performance at the base of midfield, while Mount and debutant James Maddison, who finally won a cap from the bench, were also lively

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