Harry Kane scored his first and second goals of the season as England laboured to victory over Malta here at the Ta’ Qali Stadium in Valletta.
Kane’s strike, followed by three more after the 86th-minute mark, ensured the Three Lions strengthened their grip on World Cup qualifying Group F.
But the performance did nothing to suggest Gareth Southgate’s men will go to Russia next summer with any hopes of getting anywhere near the final.
Malta are ranked joint-190th in the FIFA world rankings with Liechtenstein — directly behind American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Brunei and Bangladesh.
But Southgate’s men made seriously hard work of their result on a humid night on the Mediterranean island.
Fireworks lit up the Maltese skies off in the distance but there was anything but fireworks on the field before or after Kane’s 53rd-minute goal finally broke the deadlock.
Kane hasn’t score before September in each of the past three seasons and finally he got off the mark for this campaign in the second half.
Dele Alli picked the ball up in the box and turned one way then the other before feeding a pass to club-mate Kane.
And the striker side-footed home with his right foot from 10 yards to secure the victory and keep England two points clear of second-placed Slovakia, who they host at Wembley on Monday.
Three more came in the last six minutes of play through Ryan Bertrand, Danny Welbeck and finally Kane for a flattering scoreline.
1. Kane puts August behind him
Harry Kane laughed off suggestions that he can’t score in August despite the fact he’d failed to register before September in any of the past three seasons.
But he’ll have to make those denials a bit more vehement after opening his account for the campaign and adding a second here at the Ta’ Qali Stadium.
Kane would have rubbed it in far quicker had he scored after just four minutes when he went close with a very good header.
But Malta keeper Andrew Hogg reacted quickly to make a fine save and deny the England star an opener.
Kane wasn’t alone in missing decent opportunities during the first half with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling also guilty.
2. Faith in Hart's a mystery
Quite what Gareth Southgate gained from keeping faith with Joe Hart is anyone’s guess.
The 30-year-old has conceded 10 goals in three Premier League games this season.
And while the blame for that statistic arguably lies every bit as much — or more — with West Ham’s ramshackle defence as the keeper himself, it is clear he is no longer the imposing No.1 he once was.
Stoke’s Jack Butland might not have learned too much if he’d got the nod here in Malta’s Ta’ Qali stadium.
After all, Hart didn’t have a save to make all night.
But if Butland suddenly finds himself cast as England’s first-choice keeper in Russia next summer, then every bit of experience will count.
3. Henderson just one captain candidate
Jordan Henderson was handed the captain’s armband ahead of Harry Kane, who led England out in the June fixtures against Scotland and France.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate said ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Glasgow that he’d pick a permanent skipper at the start of this season.
But he has backtracked on that and confirmed earlier this week that he planned to keep sharing the responsibility around in a bid to bring to encourage as many leaders as possible to come to the fore.
Henderson, Kane and Gary Cahill are the prime candidates if Southgate decides to perform another U-turn.
4. Sterling doesn't shine
Manchester City fans will probably be wondering why Pep Guardiola didn’t drive Raheem Sterling to Arsenal on transfer deadline day.
For a while the winger was being considered in part-exchange for City target Alexis Sanchez but ultimately neither moved on in the transfer window.
Whether or not that played a part in Sterling’s performance last night perhaps we will never know, but he was poor in the first half and was hooked at half-time by Gareth Southgate.
Sterling just hasn’t kicked on in the three years that have passed since he broke into the England team in Brazil.
And given the knock his confidence must have taken this week, you wonder how the rest of the season will pan out for him.
5. Hogg stands up to homeland
There's no wonder Malta keeper Andrew Hogg raises his game against England — after all he was born in Kingston-upon-Thames.
And you have to wonder given his two performances against England in World Cup qualifying Gorup F why he has never played at a higher level than leagues in Malta, Greece and Cyprus.
Hogg made a couple of decent saves last night, particularly the one which denied Harry Kane’s header early in the game.
At 32, his chances of a move to England have probably now passed.
But he shouldn’t give up hope.