Euro 2012 Qualifier Player Ratings: England 4-0 Bulgaria

Little to do in the first half, bar one quick reaction stop after Johnson's ill-advised backpass. Second half he was far busier, making two vital saves — one that directly led to England's clinching second goal. Has made the No.1 his own since the World Cup.

On the day his divorce was finalised, Cole played without any obvious strain. Constant threat down left, and was furthest forward on many occasions. Provided assist for Gerrard's opener — and confirmed his status as one of England's world-class assets.

Stamped his authority on the game early with a well-timed challenged. But occasionally seemed threatened by the pace and movement of Bojinov, and slight lack of mobility was sometimes exploited. Second-half injury, after tangle with former Manchester City man, looks a long-term one. Very unfortunate.

Really impressive. Good in the air, an uncompromising tackler, was stretched by Bojinov and Bulgaria but always stayed with the play to make important stops. Suspicion lingers he will struggle against better opponents, but grabbed chance given to him.

Showed good vision on the ball and used it with effect. Looked jumpy defensively, however, and was lucky not to score a somewhat laughable own goal after a mis-judged attempt to flick a cross back to his goalkeeper. Second half far more composed.

Returned to a central role, Gerrard showed glimpses of his passing range and set the tempo for his side. But was frequently man-handled by Petrov and Angelov, and struggled really to break away from them going forward — baring the move for the second goal which he kick-started.

The effort was there, and almost the end product. Has clearly added a bit more variety to his crossing, although accuracy is still a slight issue. Pace genuinely scared his opposite number Milanov, but suspicion remains he can still be utilised better than as an orthodox right midfielder.

Passing vision was the basis for many an England attack. Not the best when without the ball, however, and seemed at times that both he and Gerrard would drop off slightly, as though aware of their combined defensive issues.

Arguably England's most dangerous performer in the first half, regularly running beyond Rooney and only let down by the No.9's uncharacteristically poor control. Lacked pace to really burn Manolev, but came inside to great effect and grew in confidence as game went on.

Not on the top of his game, but still vital to England's attacking intent. Visionary through-ball for Cole was instrumental in crucial early opener — and the directness of his subsequent attacks opened up play for others to exploit. Played big hand in all subsequent goals, to get some of the critics off his back.

A physically uncompromising performance from the right-back, although he was often overrun by the rampaging runs of Cole and Milner, and Rooney's predilection to drift to that wing. Early second half substitution confirmed his uncomfortable night.

The most limited of Bulgaria's defenders, looked uncomfortable on the ball and didn't always pick up his man. Was dominant in the air however, taking advantage of his height.

The true enforcer of Bulgaria's midfield, hassled and harried but showed up his rather limited skill. Clattered Gerrard early on, struggled with some of his passing. and seemed to be troubled by the pace of England's midfielders. Grew into game as it went on, however, and tested Hart with a controlled drive.

Showed a certain amount of vision with his infrequent touches of the ball. A decent link-up man in behind Bojinov, but manager Stanimir Stoilov might have hoped for a little bit more impact from one his few licensed attackers, and will rue the one glorious chance he blasted wide of the post.

Looks a classy player, comfortable on the ball yet unafraid to mix it when required. Battled valiantly against England's midfielders, and distributed the ball efficiently when the chance arose.

The onus was always on the forward as Bulgaria's lone ranger. Runs occasionally showed some real intelligence, but his touch was often poor and he looked slightly short of full sharpness. Withdrawn on the hour for Rangelov.

Looks a decent defender, comfortable on the ball and strong in the tackle. But two slight lapses contributed to his side conceding twice, a lesson about the quality you face at this level.

A brutal tackle on Milner hardly got the crowd on his side, and his performance won't exactly have thrilled his manager either. Was a good outlet for his side while going forward, but defensively really struggled — even after being moved to right-back in the second half.

Pace and dribbling ability obviously had Johnson on edge, but lack of quality service meant he was quiet for much of the match. Bulgaria really needed him to get involved more as the game went on.

A rangy passer, the Aston Villa midfielder was alert defensively and led his side with real conviction. Forced a great second-half save from Joe Hart, and did much to stem the increasing tide of English forays.