Rio revels in the feel-good factor

While Emile Heskey rightly pointed out that the rest of the world will have to start taking notice of England's return to form, last night's stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand believes it has made the most impact in the dressing room.

He said: "The biggest message we have sent is to ourselves because we know that if we apply ourselves right and perform, we can win any game. At the moment it's not about producing results for others or to remind other countries how good we are, it's about producing for ourselves. It's about us proving to ourselves we are good enough. Not qualifying for Euro 2008 was disappointing and the benchmark for us now is to make sure that we qualify for the next tournament. To do that we must play well individually and collectively as a unit.

"We have six months to our next qualifier and it's a long time to wait but the most important thing is we have won four out of four." It is a clear indication of the renewed confidence within the squad that they are disappointed they will have to wait until April before their next competitive match, against Ukraine.

Even rookie Theo Walcott has caught the bug, having thrived in the national team on his last three outings, and he is looking ahead to the friendly against Germany next month as an opportunity to fine-tune his game before England's qualifying campaign resumes.

He said: "We are playing brilliant football and it's unfortunate the next qualifier is another six months away. We want to keep the run going but there are friendlies in the meantime to help keep ticking us over.

"I am hoping to work on a few things before the next competitive game. I hope to become even more involved in games on the right wing and I will do that by learning from Mr Wenger at Arsenal.

"I need to put that into my game more and everyone will see that soon. The atmosphere has changed. Everyone is smiling in the dressing room, from the coaches to the players. It has been a good 10 days for us all and now we have to keep pushing on."

Some may point out that winning in Minsk is hardly a clear sign of a team capable of winning a World Cup but the fact England were made to work hard for this victory and still comfortably came out on top exposed a new-found character in the ranks.

Belarus deservedly equalised in the 28th minute, when Pavel Sitko headed home Igor Stasevich's cross after they had fallen behind to a fine curling effort from Gerrard 17 minutes earlier. But it just seemed to motivate England to move on to another level and Rooney's superb brace in the second half summed up the difference in class between the two sides.

Coach Capello is belying his Italian roots by producing a team based on attack rather than defence and he is enjoying the benefits.

He said: "I think, at this moment, we play like a team. There is not like one or two players creating something. It was like a team. That is important to me."

Even Gerrard's aberration of missing an easy chance to score four minutes from time, when he hit the ball with the outside of his right foot when the angle demanded he use his left, provided a positive lesson to those watching in the stands and at home.

Gerrard said: "I'm sure I will get a lot of stick for missing the chance of scoring a second. The texts were flooding in when I checked my phone after the match.

"But it is a lesson to any kids who were watching that you have to keep working on your weaker foot. I should have used my left but tried my right instead. The main thing is we are sitting top of the group and we have made history."

And to think they did that with John Terry, Ashley Cole and Joe Cole all missing through injury even the boo-boys among the fanbase will have to be impressed by that.