England continued their impressive qualification campaign for the 2006 World Cup with what turned out, in the end, to be a comfortable 4-0 victory over Northern Ireland at Old Trafford today.

The plucky underdogs had made life difficult for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men in the opening 45 minutes and half-time arrived with the game still goalless. Once Joe Cole had curled home the first goal at the start of the second half, though, the floodgates opened and England scored three more times in a blistering 15-minute spell.

Michael Owen and Frank Lampard also got on the score-sheet, while Wayne Rooney panicked the unlucky Northern Irish defender Chris Baird into conceding an own-goal. Another smooth performance which sees England consolidate their position at the head of the qualifying group and firmly on course for the finals. – 26 March 2005