Thomas Tuchel made two changes to the side that defeated Wales five days ago, which included returning skipper Harry Kane to lead the side out in Riga, alongside the introduction of Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Kane was quickly thrust into the action, having a goal ruled out for offside in the opening minute, before firing agonisingly wide from Anthony Gordon’s delivery.
The Three Lions were eager to get their flight booked to North America as soon as possible, with further chances for Gordon and Bukayo Saka in a purposeful and confident start.
It was only a matter of time before England found the breakthrough, and Gordon duly obliged after latching onto John Stones’ long ball forward before cutting inside from the left and unleashing an unstoppable strike past Krišjānis Zviedris.
Tuchel’s side were cruising their way towards another comfortable win when Kane rifled home a superb left-footed finish from distance, before converting from the penalty spot in the last kick of the half.
Paolo Nicolato’s side caused the Three Lions defence a brief moment of concern after the restart when Vladislavs Gutkovskis bore down on goal, but Ezri Konsa was on hand to make a perfectly-timed sliding challenge.
Unsurprisingly, though, the next goal scored was an England one, albeit in largely fortuitous circumstances.
Djed Spence played a wicked cross in from the right-hand side, and Andrejs Cigaņiks inadvertently turned the ball into his own net at the far post.
Despite the seemingly futile task ahead of them, Latvia remained undeterred and roused the locals when chances fell to Maksims Toņiševs and Eduards Dašķevičs, with the latter forcing a largely inactive Jordan Pickford into action.
There was still time for Eberechi Eze to add a fifth with a well-taken finish and complete a fine night’s work.
Ultimately, this was about as straightforward a win as England could have hoped for, in a qualifying campaign where they have never been tested.
Tuchel’s side have scored 17 goals and conceded none in six qualifiers, but it remains to be seen if the German can lift the Three Lions’ perennial underachievers tag next summer and end almost 60 years of hurt for the men’s team.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Harry Kane (England)
