In his pre-match address, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson gave a glowing endorsement of the qualities of two vital cogs in the England engine room.

"In the middle we have Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who at their best are unstoppable,'' enthused Eriksson.

And on the flanks captain David Beckham and the emerging Joe Cole, who looks to have solved the left-sided conundrum, made up the complement of an effective four-man unit, one that is growing in strength all the time.

It was Liverpool midfielder John Welsh, hailed in many quarters as a player made in the image of Anfield teammate Gerrard, who opened the scoring for England's Under-21 side in their 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

And it was Gerrard himself who struck the first blow on Tyneside as the senior side produced a carbon-copy result.

Inevitably, it was Wayne Rooney who provided the spark, beating two men on the left to centre for Gerrard.

The Liverpool skipper needs no second invitation to shoot at goal and it was a crashing finish, in off the underside of the bar.

Beckham, hugely influential all night, then added the second with casual aplomb when he was left in the clear courtesy of a long ball from Lampard, who had earlier hit a post with a thumping effort and went close on two other occasions.

England's defence have taken the plaudits, and much of the talk of late has been of what a potent front pair the country boasts in Rooney and Michael Owen.

But this time it was the midfield that made the difference.