England vs. Lithuania: Winners and Losers from Euro 2016 Qualifier

WEMBLEY STADIUM, London — England moved another step closer to qualifying for next summer's European Championship with a straightforward 4-0 win over Lithuania at Wembley on Friday night.

Goals from Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane—on his debut, barely a minute after coming on—sealed the victory for the Three Lions, who controlled the contest from start to finish.

Victory means the Three Lions now have five wins from their first five qualifying games, putting them on the verge of extremely early qualification for the tournament in France.

Here are some winners and losers from the night's action.

Winner: Harry Kane

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The rise and rise of Harry Kane shows no sign of abating, as he celebrated his England debut by scoring a goal with his first touch of the match.

He was made to wait for his opportunity—first Roy Hodgson left him on the bench, then a substitution's board glitch meant he had to wait a few extra minutes before making his arrival—but once it came he did not disappoint. Replacing Wayne Rooney to a rapturous reception, the Spurs man headed straight for the far post and then planted a header that just crept inside the post.

It was a remarkable moment (even at this early stage of his career, the sort of moment he is quickly coming to trade in) and sparked into life a Wembley crowd that had become as comfortable as the team were on the pitch.

"It's the start I dreamed of, it's a little bit of a blur at the minute," Kane told ITV (via The Independent). "It's the best moment by far, to represent your country at senior level is the top.

"Hopefully I can keep doing it, and it's the first of many."

Beyond the goal Kane was a fine presence, adding to the team's build-up play and providing a couple of good opportunities for his teammates. He is highly likely to get a more sustained run-out against Italy next week—it will be interesting to see how he fares against a higher calibre of defensive opposition.

Loser: Danny Welbeck

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Danny Welbeck scored a goal and was named the night's official man of the match, yet he still walks away something of a loser.

The primary reason is injury: After the game Roy Hodgson revealed the striker had tweaked his knee, a knock that is not expected to be serious but is expected to keep him out of the friendly with Italy.

That plays into why he's losing: Even in his goalscoring display Welbeck saw Harry Kane come on and make an immediate impact, and now he is likely to be forced to the sidelines as the Spurs man almost certainly starts against the Azzurri.

We’ll see," Hodgson said after the game, when asked if Kane would start against Antonio Conte's side. "Obviously his chances get bigger all the time when we’re losing players. I haven’t got front players coming out of a hat, and he’s one of the ones that is there and is available."

Welbeck has long been a consistent and impressive performer for England, but it is clear that Kane will quickly put real pressure on the Arsenal man for his regular starting position. Welbeck will be pleased with his efforts on Friday night but might wonder if missing out on Tuesday will do him more harm than good in the long run.

Loser: Wayne Rooney

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Wayne Rooney is a loser in this game in the same way Danny Welbeck is: marginally, if actually at all. The Manchester United striker scored the opening goal of the night and hit the woodwork on a couple of other occasions—but he looked very disappointed when he was finally taken off for Harry Kane with 20 minutes remaining.

That is perhaps because Rooney recognised the game had been a very real opportunity for him to draw level with Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time England goalscoring record (or even surpass it). As it is he only moved forward one goal, to 47, and still needs two more to surpass the 1966 World Cup winner.

That will clearly happen at some point—there should be no real concerns about that. But Rooney will perhaps look at his night's work as an opportunity missed, rather than a goal gained.

Winner: Roy Hodgson

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A step closer to qualification, Roy Hodgson is enjoying a serene qualification process. He could hardly ask for more at this point, with nothing happening on the pitch that opens him up to any significant criticism from the press.

He will have concerns about some areas of his team when they come up against stronger opposition—but that is something he can test out in stakes-free surroundings of a friendly against Italy on Tuesday. For now qualifying for the tournament in France next summer is the priority and one England keep moving ever closer to achieving.

Winner: Lithuania's Travelling Supporters

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Full credit to Lithuania's travelling supporters, who made themselves heard during 90 minutes where there was not too much for them to get excited about on the pitch.

Their team worked hard and stuck to their jobs defensively, but beyond that there was not a whole host to get worked up about. But, stationed near one corner of Wembley, the block of yellow supporters chanted and jumped around for almost the entire 90 minutes, adding a vibrancy to proceedings that was absent on the pitch.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.