England took another step closer to qualifying for the 2018 World Cup after comfortably seeing off Lithuania 2-0 at Wembley on Sunday.

Gareth Southgate was taking charge of his first home game since becoming the permanent boss, and goals from strikers Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy secured a fourth win in five qualifying matches for the Three Lions.

It means that Southgate’s men are in complete control of Group F, given that they are already four points clear of second place Slovakia, and have just five games of the group stage remaining.

With trips to Scotland, Lithuania, and Malta to come, as well as home clashes against Slovakia and Slovenia, England should feel confident of securing the all-important top spot in the group, which would see them automatically qualify for Russia next year.

Southgate’s men also played Germany in a friendly over the international break, a game his side lost 1-0 thanks to a stunning strike from Lukas Podolski in Dortmund.

Nonetheless, it has been a decent week or so for England, so here is What’s Hot and What’s Not from the Three Lions’ international break…

HOT – Step closer to qualification

It was far from England’s best performance against Lithuania, but Southgate’s men got the three points to take another step closer to the 2018 World Cup finals.

The Three Lions picked up their fourth win in five qualifiers to seize control of Group F, and with second place Slovakia already four points adrift of the leaders, England are well-placed to secure automatic qualification to Russia.

There is still work to be done, but with Slovenia and Slovakia still to visit Wembley, as well as Southgate’s men facing trips to both Lithuania and Malta, the Three Lions can be confident of securing the points needed to qualify for next year’s World Cup.

NOT – ‘Same old story’ in Germany loss

Although the Lithuania game was the most important clash of the international break, it would have given the whole England squad a huge boost if they had got a result in Germany last week.

And, although Southgate’s men performed well in their 1-0 defeat in Dortmund, it was a case of ‘same old, same old’ as far as the result was concerned.

The Three Lions dominated much of the first half, but both Adam Lallana and Dele Alli were guilty of missing golden opportunities to give the visitors a deserved lead.

England were also good in the second period and got into several goal-scoring positions, yet didn’t get the crucial goal, and the longer it went on, the more you knew that Germany would score.

And they did (admittedly it was a stunner from Lukas Podolski!), in what was probably the most predictable of outcomes.

Turning those sorts of performances into results against the best in the world will be one of Southgate’s biggest tests as England boss.

HOT – Jermain Defoe and Michael Keane

Many England stars performed well over the last week or so – Adam Lallana was brilliant in both games and Dele Alli looked sharp against Germany – but Jermain Defoe and Michael Keane deserve the recognition.

34-year-old Defoe made his first appearance for his country since November 2013 against Lithuania on Sunday, and proved that he hasn’t lost his predatory nature by stabbing home Raheem Sterling’s cross to give Southgate’s men a first half lead.

He continued to get into good areas and had another effort well saved as England pressed for a second, before the Sunderland man received a standing ovation when substituted on the hour mark.

And if Defoe isn’t necessarily the future, Burnley’s Keane certainly is.

The 24-year-old seamlessly slotted into Southgate’s back three against Germany, producing several key blocks and interceptions to demonstrate his adeptness on the big stage, and was only denied an impressive clean sheet by a moment of brilliance from Podolski.

But the former Manchester United defender did get his clean sheet, albeit against inferior opposition, on Sunday, where he once again looked calm and composed, and appeared to strike up a decent understanding alongside John Stones.

Both Defoe and Keane deserve immense credit for their efforts over the last week or so, and more impressive displays for their clubs between now and May could see both men in the squad for the June qualifiers.

NOT – Ross Barkley

Everton’s Ross Barkley has been in excellent form in recent weeks for his club, netting once and laying on five assists in his last nine Premier League appearances.

However, the 23-year-old once again failed to get any minutes on the pitch for his country, having to remain routed to the bench in the defeat in Germany as well as the success over Lithuania.

And it now means that Barkley, who was of course selected and not played in Euro 2016, hasn’t appeared in any of his last seven call ups, dating back to the Three Lions’ 2-1 victory over Australia in May last year.

The midfielder will surely be frustrated and disappointed not to get any minutes under his belt, but if he continues to produce the goods for the Toffees, it will only be a matter of time until he adds to his 22 England caps.