A first-half strike from Tyrique George saw England U21s beat Andorra U21s 1-0 and climb top of group four in the Euro qualifiers.
If Andorra had arrived at Pride Park expecting to do anything other than cede control and look to hurt the Young Lions on the break, they were dealt a very rude early awakening.
It took an almighty effort for the visitors to simply regain possession following kick-off, as Lee Carsley’s side looked to assert themselves immediately.
Tyrique George created an excellent opportunity for himself in the seventh minute after an intelligent one-two with Rico Lewis played him into the box.
The Manchester City defender came under immediate pressure from the retreating Andorran defence and did well to get a shot away, but his effort curled wide of the far post.
Ethan Nwaneri released Jamie Gittens behind the defence midway through the half. The Chelsea winger’s excellent footwork got him in a shooting position, but the effort failed to test Marc De Castro as it sailed high and wide.
England came close to an opener in the 28th minute when Ashley Phillips headed goal-ward from the six-yard box but a remarkable stop from De Castro allowed Andorra to scramble the ball off the line – another stern warning to the visitors that the European champions meant business.
Just minutes later, the Young Lions thought that they had broken the deadlock when Joshua King finished into the bottom corner after a smart pass behind the defence from Gittens.
The pass was made easier by the fact that King was considerably offside, however, and the assistant’s flag quickly reflected this, chalking out the goal without hesitation.
As the half drew to a close, the hosts continued to push for an opener and came agonisingly close when Brooke Norton-Cuffy skied an effort from close range.
Gittens had played an exquisite looping cross to the back post, but Norton-Cuffy was unable to keep his effort under control.
The opener finally arrived in the 41st minute, when Gittens beat two defenders to progress down the left wing, where he was able to offload the ball to George in the box.
George snuck an astonishing effort in at the near post, from a near-impossible angle to give England a deserved lead shortly before the break.
A second half of few thrills saw the Young Lions continue to dominate proceedings, but their efforts to add to their tally proved fruitless.
Carsley’s side by no means played poorly, and saw out a professional and comprehensive victory, which never looked in doubt – a credit to their efforts from the get-go.
The win saw England move top of group 4, two points ahead of Slovakia.