|  | By Andrew McKenzie
BBC Sport Interactive at the Stadium of Light |
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson asked for more commitment and for the first time since the World Cup finals his side answered the call.
In front of a sell-out crowd of 47,677 at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, England overpowered Turkey and took a major step towards the European Championship finals in 2004.
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Portugal is still a long way away but Eriksson will be encouraged to see that pride and passion returned to the England shirt after his most difficult spell in charge of the national side. At times that passion spilled over both on and off the field with skipper David Beckham in particular allowing his aggressive streak to rear its ugly head once again.
England have played 50 times since Beckham became public enemy number one with his sending-off against Argentina in 1998. �
He has come a long way since then, but at times he still appears incapable of channelling his admirable enthusiasm in the right direction.
The Manchester United midfielder had already been involved in a couple of incidents before he was shown a yellow card that will keep him out of England's next qualifier against�Slovakia in June.
For all England's early efforts it was anything but a vintage first-half performance. Too often hard-earned possession was wasted with sloppy passes and poor crossing from the flanks as England found the Turkish backline a tough nut to crack.
But towards the end of the opening period Wayne Rooney became increasingly influential.
Picking the ball up deep he showed why Eriksson decided to gamble with a player who had started just eight senior games.
Every time the ball reached the 17-year-old's feet the crowd expected something special.
The youngster was more than happy to comply and one particular piece of ball-juggling trickery was followed by an equally impressive crossfield pass that delighted the home fans.
� Rooney's team-mates followed his lead and England were able to add some guile to their graft in the second half.
� When they stepped up a gear their opponents had few answers.
The opening goal came late on and England had to endure a few nervy moments at the back but the win was no more than the hosts deserved.
Both goals were followed by pitch invasions from home fans that could lead to Uefa action.
Several players continued their on-pitch grievances long after the final whistle brought an end to a niggly affair with more shoves being exchanged than shirts.
England must avoid taking their foot off the gas against Liechtenstein, Macedonia and Slovakia in the coming months.
� Three wins would leave them firmly in the driving seat and needing just a point when they travel to Turkey on 11 October for what is sure to be an even more tempestuous affair.
But for now they can sit back and enjoy the plaudits for a job well done.
MMIX
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With Wayne Rooney in the team, England must now be favourites to win Euro 2004 
