England extended their lead at the top of their 2015 Under-21 European Championship qualifying group with a 9-0 win over San Marino at the Greenhous Meadow this evening.

Raheem Sterling and Danny Ings both netted braces in the Under-21s' record win.

Five different goalscorers found the back of the net in the first half, while Patrick Bamford had a late effort disallowed.

Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the record-breaking match.

Match statistics:

England:
Shots 25
On target 14
Corners 8
Fouls 11

San Marino:
Shots 1
On target 0
Corners 0
Fouls 6

Was the result fair?

Yes. The win never really looked in doubt as England were the better side from the start, and looked like scoring every time they had the ball, while San Marino struggled to get the ball out of their own penalty area for much of the match. Frankly, the score could have been much higher given England's number of chances.

England's performance

It is always hard to gauge performance when the two teams are so mismatched, but England certainly looked impressive this evening. Despite five changes to the starting lineup, the Young Lions played well as a team. Thomas Ince and Raheem Sterling worked tirelessly to set up chances for their teammates, while Danny Ings and Jesse Lingard stretched the visiting defenders inside the box. The energy levels, consistency and attacking spirit was strong throughout, and should give England plenty of confidence when they continue their qualifying campaign next year.

San Marino's performance

It was always going to be an uphill battle for San Marino, but they did not do themselves any favours, practically handing the home side their opening two goals with some poor defensive decisions. Striker Marco Bernardi failed to get a chance up front, often having to drop back to help out in defence. Andrea Manzaroli was actually quite impressive in goal, making four good saves before being forced off with an injury late on, while Michele Berardi also had a strong cameo between the posts, but the keepers just did not have enough help from their teammates tonight.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Raheem Sterling: The Liverpool midfielder caused problems from the start for San Marino, stretching their defenders with his impressive pace and footwork. The 18-year-old mainly worked to create chances for his teammates, but did have two shots himself, scoring with both. It appeared he was a marked man at times, being fouled three times, but he kept his cool to put in a mature performance.

Biggest gaffe

This has to go to San Marino defender Daniele Maiani, who had an easy chance to clear the ball to prevent Michael Keane's goal, but the 20-year-old somehow managed to scuff his block, teeing it up perfectly for the Manchester United player to slot in the opener, after which the floodgates opened. Until then, San Marino had fought off England's attacks well, but once they were behind their heads dropped.

Referee's performance

To be honest, there really was not a great deal for Icelandic official Gunnar Jarl Jonsson to do this evening. There were no bookings, no penalty shouts and few contentious fouls.

What next?

England: The Young Lions have a good break before facing second-placed Wales in March, knowing that a win would all but secure their place in the 2015 tournament.

San Marino: San Marino are also off until March, when they face another tricky tie against Finland.