The Republic of Ireland were beaten 5-0 in the final game of their Nations League campaign at Wembley on Sunday evening. Liam Scales' second-half red card had a massive effect, and shortly after, England raced into a three-nil lead with goals from Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Harry Kane, Jarrod Bowen, Conor Gallagher, and Anthony Gordon.
Heimir Hallgrímsson said before the game that the pressure was on England, as they needed to win to finish top of the group. This pressure looked apparent early on, but in the end, quality showed on the day.
This was the 19th meeting between the sides since their first encounter in 1946.
England and the Republic of Ireland have faced each other 18 times before today, in both competitive and friendly matches. England hold the most wins with seven, while Ireland have two victories, and nine games have ended in draws.
Fans of both teams who are old enough will have fond and not-so-fond memories of Ireland's historic 1-0 win over England in Euro 1988. The most recent match saw England triumph 2-0 in a UEFA Nations League clash last September.
Since that loss in September, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side has already avoided relegation to League C by finishing third in the group. They now await a March play-off next year.
England, on the other hand, have effectively been promoted to League A after topping their Nations League group.
First Half
Lee Carsley's side dominated possession throughout the early stages, and their first opportunity came from intense pressing in Ireland's corner. Noni Madueke's cross ended up in the path of Curtis Jones, but his effort flew over the Ireland goal.
Jude Bellingham then threaded a ball through to Anthony Gordon, but Nathan Collins saw it out for a corner.
Ireland struggled to hold onto the ball, and England's pressure was paying off despite the score remaining level with 12 minutes gone.
Irish fans in the corner were extra noisy because of the occasion, singing Grace by The Dubliners, while England pondered their next move with all their possession.
Festy Ebosele made his way up the pitch but was challenged by Tino Livramento. The Ireland players were dismayed as no foul was given.
Despite their quality, England gave Caoimhín Kelleher very little to do in the first half. Their long balls into the channels repeatedly ended up in the Cork man's grasp.
Madueke had Irish hearts in their mouths at one stage, but his effort was blocked and hacked away. England appealed for a penalty, but it was not given.
Ireland finally reached the English box, and there were calls for their own penalty when Kyle Walker caught Sammie Szmodics. However, the appeals were waved away.
Liam Scales earned a huge cheer from the away crowd for upending England captain Harry Kane, prompting a brief chant of "Come on, you boys in green" from the Ireland fans.
A foul on Callum O'Dowda by Madueke created a set-piece opportunity for Ireland, but it came to nothing.
Jayson Molumby and Harry Kane got into an altercation at the end of the half, which was as exciting as the as the rest of the first 45 minutes got.
Ireland to their credit were excellent in the first half in terms of defensive prowess, but more intent was needed in order to snatch a point or maybe three.
Second Half
England started the second half with the same intent as the first, but the same lack of quality persisted.
However, Harry Kane found Jude Bellingham with a through ball, and Scales caught the Real Madrid star with a foul. A penalty was awarded, and Scales received his second yellow card, reducing Ireland to ten men. Kane stepped up and made no mistake, making it 1-0 to England.
England doubled their lead shortly after. A cross from Nathan Collins inadvertently hit debutant Mark McGuinness on the head, and the ball fell to Gordon, who finished calmly from six yards.
The game was effectively over as a contest when Conor Gallagher's header from a corner made it 3-0. Whatever Carsley said at halftime seemed to have worked.
Substitute Jarrod Bowen then scored from the edge of the area, turning a hopeful night for Hallgrímsson's side into a dreadful one at 4-0.
Both sides had effectively achieved their goals for the Nations League, and any sense of urgency disappeared from the game at this point. England were through to League A, and Ireland were assured of finishing third, with their play-off next year already secured.
England, however, did not stop. Substitute Dominic Solanke nearly made it 5-0, but his close-range effort sailed over the bar. Another sub and debutant, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, finally made it 5-0.
England attempted to make it 6-0, but Kelleher saved Bowen's close-range effort. Shortly after, the final whistle blew—a sound many Irish fans and players were glad to hear.
Ireland will now wait until Friday, November 22, to discover their opponent for the UEFA Nations League play-off.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis of England heads (photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images) )