England rout Ireland to earn Nations League promotion in Carsley farewell

England clinched Nations League promotion with a 5-0 rout of Ireland as Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis scored their first international goals to bring a successful end Lee Carsley‘s reign.

Shrugging off a lacklustre first half performance, England ran riot after the break at Wembley on Sunday to secure the victory they needed to return to League A.

Three goals in the space of five minutes and 36 seconds did the damage in Carsley’s last game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on an 18-month contract from January 1.

Harry Kane, back in the team after being dropped to the bench for Thursday’s win against Greece, opened the floodgates with a penalty conceded by Ireland defender Liam Scales, who was sent off for a second booking.

Newcastle winger Gordon, Atletico Madrid midfielder Gallagher, West Ham forward Bowen and Southampton defender Harwood-Bellis all netted for the first time in an England shirt.

England’s stylish show ensured first place in Group B2, after five wins from six matches under Carsley.

Carsley, who will return to his previous role as England Under-21 manager, plans to speak with former Bayern Munich boss Tuchel to “talk through the players” the German will inherit for next year’s World Cup qualifiers.

And the 50-year-old, who replaced Gareth Southgate following the Euro 2024 final loss to Spain, will be able to deliver a largely glowing review of England’s strength in depth after handing out eight debuts since September.

Nine of the stars called up by Carsley withdrew from the squad amid suggestions they had been persuaded by their club managers to avoid risking injuries during a busy time of the season.

England captain Kane had said he was unhappy about the amount of