You're welcome, Thomas Tuchel! Winners and losers as Lee Carsley leaves new England boss with Nations League promotion present and confident squad - but will injury absentees rue missing Ireland rout?

Kane responded to being dropped from the starting line-up for Thursday's win over Greece by giving England a reminder of what makes him so special. While the Three Lions have a whole host of dazzling wingers and even another fine centre-forward in Ollie Watkins, they have very few players with an ability to pick out a pass that can split an entire defence and turn a game on its head.

Kane was not having the most enjoyable outing when the half-time whistle went. He botched a promising move on the counter when he was dispossessed by Scales, and he showed his frustration when he hauled Jayson Molumby to the floor at the end of the first half, collecting a booking in the process. But he changed the game shortly after the break with his world-class ball to Bellingham, which he later admitted was the best pass he had delivered in his career.

Even though Caoimhin Kelleher has a fine penalty-saving record at Wembley, he stood no chance in the face of Kane, who scored his 23rd consecutive spot-kick since missing against France at the last World Cup. From there, Kane continued to fuel England's attacks with his long-range passes, and his performance underlined why Gareth Southgate kept on picking him during Euro 2024, despite his questionable levels of sharpness. He will not always deliver 10/10 performances, but he still has a talismanic quality which will make him an asset to Tuchel.

England's players who had declared themselves not fit for the two games had already faced the wrath of Kane, who accused some members of the squad of "taking advantage" of the difficult stage of the club season. And then they were reminded that there are plenty of talented individuals ready and willing to take their place.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis showed he can compete with Levi Colwill and Jarrad Branthwaite for a back-up centre-back spot behind Marc Guehi and John Stones, while Kyle Walker gives added competition after slotting in with little fuss at the heart of the defence. Declan Rice should be assured of his place in Tuchel's plans, but Curtis Jones showed the Arsenal midfielder and the injured Kobbie Mainoo that he can give him them both a run for their money.

Jack Grealish's place has been put at risk due to his form nose-diving in the past year, and both Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon now look to be ahead of him in the pecking order. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has so often struggled to feel at home in the England squad, has been given a gentle warning by Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento.

Tuchelwas nowhere to be seen at Wembley Sunday or in Athens earlier in the week, and had the Three Lions failed to win either game, he would have been left with the awkward task of negotiating a Nations League promotion play-off as his first act as coach. He would also have faced further scrutiny over his decision to not start the role until January.

As it turns out, his future team were in safe hands under Carsley, and the German can now fully focus on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and ultimately trying to win it. He has also got to see more debutants in action and he will have seen that there is a wealth of quality across the squad.

There is some doubt over how experimental Tuchel will be with picking youngsters, amid rumours that he will try to reintegrate Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount. But even if he does prioritise experienced players over fledglings, he has seen the potential of the likes of Hall and Livramento, while he has also seen that the next generation of youngsters can thrive in the Under-21s under the guidance of Carsley.

Ireland had enjoyed the rarest of feelings in two of their last three international fixtures, having beaten Finland home and away. And they equipped themselves well in the first half at Wembley, limiting England to zero shots on target. But, sure enough, they succumbed to another painful defeat to their hated neighbours after September's loss in Dublin, and this turned out to be their heaviest defeat in 12 years, since losing 6-1 to Germany in 2012.

Scales has to take a heavy proportion of the blame. The Celtic defender clumsily fouled Bellingham seven minutes into the second half to give away the penalty and the infraction saw him sent off as he had needlessly got himself booked at the end of the first half for delaying an England free-kick. Ireland stood no chance with 10 men, and in the end they were fortunate to get away with conceding just five goals.

Once Kane's penalty had broken the deadlock, it became clear this was an ideal occasion to open your England account. Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Bowen and Harwood-Bellis happily obliged, making it the first time since 1930 that four players had scored their maiden goals for the Three Lions in one game.

Gordon scored what surely will be the first of many England goals, adjusting his body to meet Livramento's heavily-deflected cross with his weaker right foot and sending it crashing into the net. Bowen, who had only been on the pitch for a matter of seconds, needed just one touch to get his first England goal, and he will also be expecting to build on that under Tuchel.

Gallagher's goal was one of the easiest he will score, but he showed his usual hunger to get to Marc Guehi's header and prod it over the line. Harwood-Bellis' header might be more of a collector's item, though, as he was given his first call-up by Carsley, with whom he won the U21 European Championship last year. But he certainly did his chances of getting into Tuchel's first England squad no harm.

Carsley has had a wild ride as interim boss. His stay lasted little more than two months, comprising three camps, but it sure was eventful. He felt first hand the wrath of the ultra-patriotic English media when, before his first game, he declared he would not sing the national anthem.

Then in October, he had to juggle awkward questions about how much he wanted the job permanently when he must have already known he was not going to get it, before he was heavily criticised for his crazy tactical selections in the dismal defeat by Greece. His third and final camp did not get off to the best start either when Pep Guardiola criticised him for selecting Grealish, and then he had to deal with the raft of drop-outs and Kane criticising those who had prioritised getting fit for their clubs.

But Carsley demonstrated his qualities as a coach in these final two fixtures and leaves with a record of five wins and one defeat, having restored England to their rightful place among the continent's top sides. If Tuchel does only stay until 2026, he has earned the right to be considered his successor - although he might need some more media training!