Danny Welbeck started for England against Lithuania on Friday night and was integral to their 4-0 win at Wembley.

Setting up Wayne Rooney for the game’s opening goal after he nutmegged a defender only to see his shot parried to the Manchester United man who headed past the keeper, Welbeck was lively throughout making a number of great runs with only his finishing letting him down.

At one point, after being clearly fouled in the box, the commentators all but called him a diver as they said he was lucky to get away without a card. The forward was threatening and worked hard, covering every blade of grass, and finally got his reward when he headed home a corner (via a deflection) late in the first half to claim his spot as the leading scorer in the tournament so far with six.

Danny Welbeck of England celebrates scoring the second goal during the EURO 2016 Qualifier match between England and Lithuania
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 27: Danny Welbeck of England celebrates scoring the second goal during the EURO 2016 Qualifier match between England and Lithuania at Wembley Stadium on March 27, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

Welbeck was also clearly fouled in the box in the second only to have that penalty claim also waved away by the referee as the frontman continued to create chances for both himself and his teammates with his direct running.

If you missed the match then you would have been spared not only the criticism of Welbeck which seems to have intensified (I wonder why) but the yammering about Harry Kane while the Spurs man waited on the bench for his debut. The ramblings increasing ten-fold when he was introduced in the second half, and then went off the chart when he scored just seconds later, clearly sacrificing his ability to close his mouth for the luck he’s enjoying this season.

Blah, blah blah.

Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott were also on the bench with Walcott coming on after 76 minutes to replace Welbeck who limped down the tunnel with what is reportedly a ‘tweaked knee’ and will miss England’s friendly against Italy.

He was then named man of the match by Vauxhall, confusing the ITV commentary team who were a bit split-personality about the whole thing, criticising him throughout the match despite the fact he was the best player on the pitch by a distance.

In the England u21’s game, Calum Chambers grabbed an assist as his cross was fumbled by the keeper, falling to Carroll who scored with a right-footed shot.