England can run away with it

Eriksson will study the film of Azerbaijan's bleak goalless draw against Northern Ireland on Saturday, read the assessment of scout Paul Goddard and monitor his players in training before deciding on his line up.

He will want to get it right because a win in Baku on Wednesday would give England a four point lead at the top of the table providing Wales beat Poland in Cardiff on the same night.

With the most difficult away games in Austria and Poland already behind them, it would then be difficult to envisage any outcome other than England finishing top of the group.

"If we were to win on Wednesday we'd be top with three away games out of the way," Eriksson said. "This would be looking good for us."

Certainly the dismissal of a poor Wales team at Old Trafford suggests Eriksson's squad is unlikely to be derailed by the likes of Azerbaijan.

The 2-0 win against Mark Hughes's side was efficient, if not resounding, but Eriksson must have been satisfied with the performance of his side, especially the confident possession and use of the ball.

His three man attack, with Wayne Rooney free to find and exploit the space behind the front two, worked a treat, and may be retained if Azerbaijan string five men across their midfield. "We now know we can play that system," Eriksson smiled.

Rooney was not the only individual to impress at Old Trafford. Frank Lampard gave a mature, resourceful performance in midfield, Nicky Butt cruised in and out of the trouble spots, and Rio Ferdinand clearly relished re-acquainting himself with international football and his former West Ham team-mate John Hartson.

But the two men who really caught the eye were Ashley Cole and Michael Owen. Cole's policing of Craig Bellamy was textbook. I doubt if there is a better left back in the world at the moment.

Owen may now be feeling the pressure from Rooney and Jermain Defoe after a dismal start at Real Madrid but he reminded us all of just what he can do when he's in good physical condition and the service to him is effective.

As bright as a button, he was once again the cutting edge in the England attack. Having feared for his place a few days ago, he's now likely to lead England out in Beckham's absence in the 37,000-capacity Tofiq Bakhramov Stadium on Wednesday. However, his bid to claim England's opening goal after four minutes was absurd.

The fact Lampard's shot was deflected off his heal was no justification for handing the goal to Owen.

Had the shot deflected in the same way off the heal of a defender would Lampard have claimed it, or would it have been an own goal? It would have been Lampard's goal of course.

And what of Beckham? His infuriating habit of wandering across the width of the pitch, often denying England his presence on the right at critical moments, was what I would have remembered of this return to Old Trafford until he curled that wonderful shot past Paul Jones in the 76th minute.

It was a goal to rival the one against Greece in that decisive World Cup tie in 2001 and the long range effort for Manchester United which soared over Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan in 1996.

Few players in the world strike a ball as well as Beckham does, so it's unfortunate he spoiled the moment by prolonging his feud with Wales left-back Ben Thatcher.

His second challenge on the former Spurs full-back earned him a caution and an automatic ban from the match in Baku as it was his second yellow card of the qualifying competition.

The ban, though, is academic, following the injury he sustained when challenging Thatcher.

A hairline rib fracture will keep him out for four weeks, which means he will also probably miss England's friendly in Madrid next month.

The Azeri locals know they have no real hope of beating England but they will, I suspect, be saddened by Beckham's absence. Instead they will have to make do with an England team that should at least placate the feelings of Brazilian legend Carlos Alberto, now manager of Azerbaijan.

Having complained bitterly about the poor quality of football from Wales and Northern Ireland he should at least see something more pleasing to the eye from England.