England 5-0 Republic of Ireland: FOUR players score their first international goals after Liam Scales is sent off as Three Lions seal Nations League promotion in Lee Carsley's final game

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Perhaps it was a good thing that Thomas Tuchel was not here, after all.

If England's new permanent boss had bothered to turn up at Wembley for the Nations League tie against the Republic of Ireland, he would have had to sit through a masterclass by the man he has usurped.

Lee Carsley, who won five of his six games as England's interim boss, masterminded a 5-0 rout of the ten-man Irish that was a celebration of the best of our game.

Including a mesmerising spell of three goals in five second half minutes, it was a celebration of the excellence of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. It was a celebration of the youth players like Noni Madueke and Curtis Jones.

It was a celebration of the ambition of giving two more players their England debuts – that made eight debuts in all in Carsley's tenure. One of the debutants, Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis, scored with a towering header soon after he came on.

And it was also a celebration of Carsley's management. As one small example of his acumen, Jarrod Bowen scored 29 seconds after Carsley brought him on a substitute. With his first touch.

England won promotion to the top tier of the Nations League by beating Ireland on Sunday

Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon scored his first senior international goal during the win

Atletico Madrid star Conor Gallagher also netted for the first time as a senior international

Quite what else Carsley needed to do to get the job as Gareth Southgate's successor full time is anybody's guess. For many, he was the perfect candidate.

But that ship has sailed. Tuchel will eventually take over at the start of next year and so perhaps it was better he was spared the embarrassment of seeing in person just what a fine job Carsley has done in his absence.

Good luck beating what Carsley has achieved. Gaining promotion back to the leading group of Nations League countries was not even the half of it.

Good luck recreating the spirit that Carsley has engendered. Tuchel is a fine coach but Carsley has set him a high bar.

The idea that Tuchel, energised and refreshed by not watching England for a few months, is going to blow in 'like a whirlwind' when he starts work on January 1 is endlessly amusing.

Someone might want to tell him that this is international football and that he won't actually take charge of an England match until March.

If Tuchel really is going to arrive like an angry weather front, he's going to be somewhere over the mid-Atlantic by the time his players kick a ball in anger.

England had started fast against Ireland. Madueke began where he left off against Greece, tormenting the opposition defence and creating chances. It was from a Madueke corner in the first few minutes that Kyle Walker glanced a near post header too high.

The game was still 0-0 early in the second half when Ireland defender Liam Scales was sent off

Captain Harry Kane (right) opened the scoring by converting a penalty conceded by Scales

Gordon (right) made it 2-0 in the 55th minute when he guided a low shot into the Ireland net 

It was 3-0 before the hour-mark thanks to a goal from former Chelsea star Gallagher (No 4)

But the game soon sunk into a dour exercise of attack versus defence. England dominated possession but could not find a way through the massed ranks of the Irish, who could not keep the ball but were able to frustrate their opposition.

Even in the midst of such a game, the quality of Jude Bellingham shone through in his hunger and his relentless desire to prompt and create. Whoever wears the captain's armband, Bellingham is fast becoming the leader of this team.

England suffered a rare scare ten minutes before half time when Sammie Szmodics ran on to a long clearance from Caoimhin Kelleher. Walker dived to head it back to Jordan Pickford and seemed to bring down Szmodics as he fell but the referee waved away Irish entreaties.

Highlights were few and far between. Liam Scales produced a crunching tackle on Harry Kane that fitted the all-but extinct category of 'hard but fair'. In the dying seconds of the half, Kane hurled Jayson Molumby to the floor but even though Molumby clutched his head, Kane only made contact with his upper body. The yellow card he was shown was the correct decision.

Six minutes into the second half, the game finally came alive. Kane drilled a brilliant, raking cross-field pass behind the Ireland defence into the path of Bellingham. Bellingham checked inside and was brought down by Scales, who was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Kane took the penalty with a halting run-up that committed Kelleher early. Kelleher dived to his right and Kane tucked the ball away to his left. It was Kane's 69th goal for his country in his 103rd appearance.

Two minutes later, England were further ahead. Debutant Tino Livramento crossed from the right, Josh Cullen tried to clear but the ball spiralled into the air off Mark McGuinness and Anthony Gordon swept it past Kelleher on the volley. It was Gordon's first England goal.

Three minutes after that, England added a third. Madueke curled in a corner from the England right, Marc Guehi flicked it on at the near post and Conor Gallagher beat Bellingham to the touch at the far post, diverting the ball into the roof of the net.

West Ham's Jarrod Bowen got England's fourth goal just seconds after coming on as a sub

Man City starlet Taylor Harwood-Bellis (left) marked his England debut with a headed goal

Sunday's big win was the last game in charge for England interim manager Lee Carsley (right)

England were now brimming with confidence to the extent that Gallagher attempted a rabona in lieu of a conventional cross. It was possible to applaud the ambition while watching the ball sail into the air and land on the roof of the net.

Harwood-Bellis came on for his debut midway through the half, providing another reminder of the extent to which Carsley has refreshed and restocked the England side in his six games in charge.

Fifteen minutes from the end, Carsley made a rash of substitutions as England stood over an attacking free kick. Bowen was one of those who came on. He took up a position on the edge of the box and when the ball was rolled to him by Bellingham, he curled it home with his first touch of the ball. He had been on the pitch for 29 seconds.

Better was to come a few minutes later. Harwood-Bellis rose majestically at the back post to meet a fine cross from the right and headed the ball down brilliantly to give Kelleher no chance. It had become a rout.

When the final whistle blew, Carsley shook hands with his assistant Ashley Cole and allowed himself a smile. It was quite a way to say goodbye.