England 2 Ukraine 0: Three Lions treat their friends with respect in comfortable 2-0 win

So it felt right that whilst England did the job they needed to at Wembley on Sunday, they did not try to ram it down their guests’ throats.

Two goals in the blink of an eye late in the first half, one made by Bukayo Saka, the other scored by him, meant England could more or less do as they pleased in the second half but with a bench much more depleted than the visitors – just the nine options, how did they cope? – there were no mass changes and no attempts to force things.

A 2-0 win was enough, thanks very much. The away fans were able to sing their hearts out for 90 minutes in a show of national pride and defiance. The yellow-shirted players could go over and thank their fantastic followers at full-time without having to look remotely embarrassed about it.

England manager Gareth Southgate was at pains to stress in his programme notes that qualifying for major tournaments is not easy but his team often make him look like a bit of a fibber on that front.

The Three Lions are already two for two after the opening week with a potentially hazardous trip to Italy chalked off.

It had been all solemnity and ceremony before the match, starting with a special presention to the family of the late Jack Leslie as an act of repentance. Leslie was the first black player called into an England squad on the back of his goalscoring exploits but once the selectors realised his skin colour, he was withdrawn, never to wear the Three Lions.

Harry Kane was handed a golden boot in recognition of becoming his country's all-time top-scorer.

With 1,000 Ukrainian refugee families and their English hosts amongst the colourful and passionate 4,000 fans in the south east corner, both national anthems were respected for once and the 22 starters posed behind a Ukrainian flag with the word "PEACE" written across it. There was also a minute's applause for World Cup winner George Cohen, who died late last year.

Finally we got round to a game of football or rather patience.

For nearly 40 minutes England probed away at Ukraine like a boxer working the body until hitting them with a thumping one-two.

In a 4-1-4-1 with James Maddison making his first international start on the left wing after Phil Foden's appendix operation ruled him out, they focused most of their attacks down the right.

Jordan Henderson regularly got outside Saka to whip in the sort of crosses that were a big part of his game in his early days but it was Saka, one of the best footballers in England since the World Cup, who landed the decisive blows.

England probed away against a team of limited ambition with Kyle Walker thee times using his pace early on to stop chances breaking out. Chelsea's £89m winger Mykhallo Mudrk got no change from the Sheffielder, and was part of the first wave of players substituted.

But the bulk of the football was played at the other end as England tried to get the ball out to the right then back in to Kane.

The England captain was appealing for a penalty in the eighth minute but looked to have lost his balance as Oleksandr Svatok – one of six Ukrainian-based starters – tried to win the ball.

Maddison was penalised trying to cash in as Anatoly Trubin spilt a Saka effort, his studs a bit too high for the referee's comfort.

Kane got up highest to a Ben Chilwell cross but found the angle to tight to beat the keeper. He then failed to make contact with a Henderson centre. Maddison steered his header at Trubin from another.

But you felt like it was coming and so it proved, Saka cutting back onto his left for a wonderful cross Kane only needed to tap in after 37 minutes. It was the 10th Euro qualifier in succession he has scored in.

Three minutes later Saka took a Henderson pass with his back to goal, turned, and curled in a wonderful second.

The second half was all Mexican waves and paper aeroplanes rather than all-out attack as England stroked the ball about and waited to see what happened. Not that much was the answer.

Bellingham produced some lovely footwork before releasing Saka, Maddison a turn as nifty as the shot at the end of it was naff.

Bellingham should have had No 3 but could not finish Saka’s cross.

Ivan Toney came on for a debut, giving Kane a well-earned break, and another late substitute, Conor Gallagher would have had a maiden international goal but for Trubin's smart save.

Harry Maguire’s meaty forehead thumped a corner just over the bar as the game ticked into stoppage time when Jack Grealish was denied too.

But it felt about right. Three points had been won but good friends had been treated with respect.

England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell; Rice; Saka, Henderson, Bellingham (Gallagher 85), Maddison (Grealish 85); Kane (Toney 81). Unused substitutes: Trippier, Ramsdale, Guehi, Dier, Phillips, Forster..

Ukraine: Trubin; Karavaev (Buyalskiy 61), Svatok, Matviyenko, Mykolenko (Sobol 61); Sudakov, Stepanenko (Konoplianka 90), Zinchenko; Malinovskyi, Yaremchuk (Dovbyk 73), Mudryk (Tsyganov 61). Unused substitutes: Lunin, Sarapii, Sydorchuk, Miroschnichenko, Bondarenko, Pikhalonok, Shevchenko.

Referee: S Gozubuyuk (Netherlands).