Manchester United trio Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney were involved as Sven Goran Eriksson capped his 50th game in charge of England with a 4-0 thumping of Northern Ireland.

Lawrie Sanchez's side kept England quiet for the first 45 minutes, but quality prevailed after the break as goals from Joe Cole, Michael Owen, Frank Lampard and a Chris Baird mistake sealed the World Cup Qualifying victory.

There were no United representatives in the Northern Ireland camp, however goalkeeper Roy Carroll watched the game from the bench. The man taking Carroll's place, Maik Taylor, was arguably the best player on the field in the first half as he helped deny England a string of chances.

Wayne Rooney came closest with a fine header that fizzed off the inside of Taylor's post. Michael Owen looked shrt on confidence, wasting a few chances.

After the break, England transformed from their half-baked style into an aggressive attacking outfit. Minutes into the second interval, Joe Cole broke the deadlock in style with a fine shot from the edge of the box.

Frank Lampard's surging run helped release Michael Owen to side-foot home the second from just a few yards out.

Two minutes later, Wayne Rooney used his strength to shrug off two defender and drill a cross-shot through a crowded box. The powerful attempt deflected off hapless Southampton defender Chris Baird.

Just after the hour mark, Frank Lampard unleashed a trade-mark shot that was helped into the net by Colin Murdock. 

Wayne Rooney was replaced with 10 minutes to go as Eriksson had one eye on his 51st game in charge - against Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

Final Score: England 4 - 0 Northern Ireland
Att: 65,239