Having kicked off the Thomas Tuchel era with a routine 2-0 victory over Albania on Friday, England looked to continue the positivity with a fast start against Latvia.
Unsurprisingly, the Three Lions dominated proceedings early on, but for all their possession, they were perhaps fortunate not to fall behind when Vladislavs Gutkovskis inexplicably missed the target from close range after a mix-up between Marc Guehi and Jordan Pickford.
Grateful for that reprieve, Tuichel’s men upped the ante in pursuit of an opener, as Ezri Konsa saw a powerful strike parried over the bar by Krisjanis Zviedris and Harry Kane headed wastefully over from eight yards.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down with half-time approaching, and the hosts’ pressure finally paid dividends in spectacular fashion when James curled a sublime free-kick into the top corner for his first international goal.
The early stages of the second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with England comfortably on top and seeing plenty of the ball.
The Latvian rearguard, however, held firm under pressure, limiting the hosts to very little in terms of clear-cut chances, as Kane curled narrowly wide from inside the box.
Not to be denied, England finally doubled their advantage in the 68th minute when Declan Rice’s inviting low delivery was tapped home by Kane at the back post for his 71st Three Lions goal.
That all but sealed the victory for Tuchel’s charges, who added a third with 15 minutes remaining, as substitute Eberechi Eze netted his first international goal with a low deflected effort.
The visitors avoided further damage in the closing stages, with Zviedris saving well from Morgan Rogers and Kane as England coasted to full-time, earning a comfortable three points in the first-ever meeting between the two nations.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Reece James (England)
Catch up on the match stats with Flashscore.