Raheem Sterling dashed to the corner flag, roaring his delight. He was running into the line of fire, as a hail of 27 plastic cups rained down from racists in the stands, but nothing was going to stop him.
Mind you, nothing ever does. Whether it is beer-throwing bigots or overzealous defenders, there is an indefatigable quality to the Manchester City forward, who never gives up and never hides. Put simply, he embodies the best qualities about this England team.
What had the potential to be a horribly uncomfortable evening on the banks of the Danube was transformed into a victory that was every bit as impressive as any of the five that propelled England to the European Championship final in July.
Raheem Sterling was on target as England ran riot against Hungary with a thumping 4-0 win in World Cup qualifying
The Manchester City star dedicated his opening goal to friend Steffie Gregg who passed away at the age of 26
Hungary fans were raucous all evening and launched flares and missiles onto the pitch as their side capitulated on Thursday
England players did a professional job in Budapest and now have 12 points on the board and look good for the Qatar finals
Sterling scored one, made another for Harry Kane and his ability engage overdrive in the second half, enabled England to seize control of Group I and propelled them ever closer to the 2022 World Cup. By the final whistle, they had plundered four unanswered goals but, really, it could have been more.
With 16 goals in his last 24 England appearances, Sterling sent a message out to those who tried to unnerve him with his fearlessness and relentless running and ultimately showed that courage should always be rewarded. By the end, the Puskas Arena had become familiar with the sound of silence.
It had been anticipated that England’s players would be booed by this partisan crowd for taking the knee and, miserably, so it proved. The moment Southgate’s squad went down as one, making it clear they will not tolerate any kind of prejudice, the whistles and jeering rose dramatically.
But let’s be quite clear about something. For all the issues around race in these parts of Eastern Europe, don’t forget that this same group were booed twice in Middlesbrough in June, they were booed at Wembley during the tournament and there remains booing in some English stadiums.
Manchester City winger Sterling had a ball put on a plate for him by Mason Mount as he tapped home after half time
Sterling roars towards the corner flag while paying tribute to a close friend as England got themselves up and running
Captain Harry Kane notched his first goal of the season since his failed transfer to Manchester City as he nodded in a second
Don’t waste your energy getting wound up about the noise in a country 1000 miles from home. There is, as Southgate eloquently pointed out in the build-up, a considerable problem on our own doorstep that must be addressed before we get outraged about situations elsewhere.
What’s more, it’s also not fair to side the racism was universal as in Bulgaria or Montenegro. For instance, there wasn’t a murmur as God Save the Queen was played before kick-off. Think about what happens to visiting nations at Wembley.
From the moment the game got under way, this was everything a trip into Europe should be: intimidating and problematic with a progressive team looking to hit the target that is now on England’s back after their momentous summer.
That’s right: they might have lost to Italy on July 12 but contesting that fixture means they will find opponents try even harder, tackle with a bit more bite and run a little bit faster to take them down a peg. It is treatment reserved for the best teams, so why complain if you are at that level?
For the first 20 minutes, England played with composure. Every touch was greeted with piercing whistles but it didn’t unsettle the team, who popped the ball back and forth and from side to side to try and pull Hungary out of position. Eventually it would wear Hungary out.
The Tottenham striker wheels away after handing England a two-goal cushion despite missing a handful of chances to score
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire also got in on the act as he glanced home from a corner as the ball squirmed in
There was even time for Declan Rice to make it four as he slammed home into the corner from Jack Grealish’s lay-off
Mason Mount, that busy little bee who buzzes around midfield, had the first sight of goal, wrapping his foot around a lay-off from Sterling but failing to find the direction to trouble Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Harry Maguire was next up, in the eighth minute, heading Luke Shaw’s corner wide. A little while later, Mount and Jack Grealish exchanged passes before the latter teed up Kane – how Pep Guardiola would have loved to have seen such a combination – but, again, the shot was poor.
A good start, then, but one that needed a little bit more fizz and there were some players who were out of sorts. Sterling looked like a man who had played just 61 minutes of the last 180 for his club. Kyle Walker was similarly scratchy, even misplacing a throw-in at one point.
Sterling, Walker and John Stones – playing his first competitive game since July 12 – made a hash of things between in the 38th minute when England were under pressure and Stones cracked when chopping down Hungary captain Adam Slazai on the edge of his own box.
You could hear the clatter of seats flipping up as the home fans rose in expectation but Dominik Szoboslazi, the new local hero, couldn’t meet their demands and put his free-kick high and wide. It was a fitting way to end the first 45 minutes – plenty of promise, no end product.
Kane could have easily had a hat-trick as he passed up two 1v1 opportunities and will be disappointed with a wasteful display
Sterling is hauled to ground in the early stages as he looks for a penalty against an initially stubborn Hungary defence
Jack Grealish got an assist and was exciting to watch as a key creative force to help England spruce into life on Thursday night
The change after the break was as dramatic as it was beautiful. Sterling broke the deadlock after terrific work by Grealish and Mount and he celebrated by lifting his shirt to pay tribute to Steffi Greg, a Jamaican socialite who died this week after contracting Covid-19.
Dreadfully, he was subjected to monkey chants and pelted with cups – substitute Jude Bellingham also received similarly grim treatment. How he can continue to produce such outstanding form in the face of such adversity is incredible, a testament to his iron will.
With the bit between his teeth, a dash down the right led to him crossing for Kane to score his 39th international goal – he moves level with Michael Owen the next time he scores – with a diving header before Maguire’s header, which squirmed through Gulacsi’s grasp, ended the contest.
A flare, this time, was hurled at the celebrating England players but still they would not be cowed. Declan Rice, who took a pretend swig from one of those beer cups, had a reason of his own to celebrate when he completed the scoring.
As the old saying goes: they who laugh last, laugh longest. And how England deserved to smile.
England were booed by the Hungary fans as they took the knee in what was an unsettling atmosphere for the Three Lions
Relive all the action on the night in Budapest with Sportsmail’s OLI GAMP below…