Mature England fulfil their potential

World Cup Qualifier: Germany 1 England 5: Players shake off their inferiority complex to secure stunning success but a minority of fans still let the side down

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Eriksson masterminds England's rebirth

Germans sweep their defeat under a carpet

Germans 'scarred for life', says Kahn

Swede will warn against complacency

The 10 critical moments

Wrong to draw conclusions of a fix

A result that finally eclipses all past gloom

A night which no one who saw it will ever forget, be they in a stupified Olympic Stadium, a heaving bar, or their own lounge, had its origins in Monte Carlo and at White Hart Lane.

After Germany's astonishing humiliation by a vibrant English side the mind went back to Liverpool's defeat of Bayern Munich in Monaco eight days previously, and the Dutch dissection of England at Tottenham nine days prior to that.

Monaco left Oliver Kahn and Thomas Linke, the usually commanding goalkeeper and serene central defender, petrified by Michael Owen and Emile Heskey. Their fear transmitted itself throughout a poorly-drilled German defence and led, ultimately, to its disembowelling.

Tottenham, as well as shaking the customary early-season cobwebs from England's system, showed Sven Goran Eriksson's previously undefeated side the danger of believing their plaudits. The Dutch, given space to play, took England apart.

On Saturday, after a shaky start in which Germany took the lead, that was not the case. Their work ethic had been restored and the need to adhere to a gameplan understood. Compact in midfield, increasingly disciplined in defence and clinical in attack, England played to their potential.

It is important not to go overboard. The central defence had dicey moments; David Seaman, though making one excellent save from Jörg Böhme, was not always convincing; and Heskey, in the first half, was anonymous. Crucially England's outstanding players, the ones with actual or potential claims to be world-class, Owen, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, each played well.

While Owen was always a threat, the others took time to ease themselves into the game. Beckham was wary of his groin injury while both Gerrard and Scholes were initially troubled by Sebastian Deisler's movement. The 21-year-old had begun brightly, prompting Germany's opener with a chip which eluded Rio Ferdinand. With Sol Campbell also ball-watching Oliver Neuville laid the ball back for an opportunity even Carsten Jancker could not miss.

It seemed an ominous start for English observers but the players, aware that there was plenty of time to recover, did not panic. It helped that only six more minutes had elapsed when, after a Beckham free-kick was half-cleared, Nick Barmby confounded Kahn by laying Gary Neville's header off to Owen.

Deisler's 21st-minute miss, after Neuville had capitalised on a Ferdinand error, proved instrumental. The burden of being regarded as Germany's answer to Owen, Scholes and Gerrard rolled into one suddenly weighed him down. His risky back-pass revealed Kahn's nervousness and Germany began to implode.

Gerrard's magnificent volley, after Ferdinand's head had cushioned Beckham's left-foot cross, sent Germany into the dressing-room with their heads down. With Beckham and Heskey immediately opening them up on the restart, for Owen to score again, they stayed down. One moment, at 1-3, when Beckham and Neville were able to conduct a short throw-in routine with no German bothering to challenge, highlighted their crumbling spirit.

When they discovered that attempting to respond only enabled Owen, from Gerrard's pass, and Heskey, released by Scholes, to deepen their disgrace, they settled for 1-5.

Just to twist the knife England introduced Owen Hargreaves, one of the best young players in the Bundesliga, for his competitive debut. He is now tied to England. It looks, this morning, as if he has made the right choice.

Hargreaves settled well as the tie ended with England playing a mocking keep-ball, their supporters in raptures and thousands of Germans already on the autobahn. After so many years of heartbreak and failure it was scarcely credible.

When the final whistle blew the players celebrated, all but Owen retaining their shirts – and he later went into the German dressing-room to reclaim it from Böhme. Eriksson left them to their moment, shaking proferred hands before turning for the dressing-room.

Seeing Adam Crozier, the FA's chief executive, he allowed himself to smile. Crozier, who staked his job on Eriksson's appointment, wrapped him in a hug. Tord Grip, who had watched from the stand, did the same, then Eriksson disappeared from view. Afterwards, like everyone else, the coach seemed to have trouble believing what he had seen. "I'm not shocked but, 5-1, it's a lot," he said. "I didn't know what to say to the team afterwards. Across Europe football fans will say 'Oh, 5-1' that's a good result in Germany."

The result, the heaviest home defeat inflicted on Germany since Austria beat them 6-0 in 1931, may have reverberated around the Continent but its impact will be felt most in the combatants. Germany have never failed in a World Cup qualifying campaign but if they do not quickly recover their confidence Andrei Shevchenko could further ravage their defence in the probable play-offs.

In England, meanwhile, perhaps this result will enable the significant minority of often boorish, occasionally violent supporters to shake off the 'two World Wars and one World Cup' complex about Germany. To judge from the drunken singing keeping Munich awake shortly before dawn yesterday, that may be optimistic.

A massive security operation is being regarded as a success because only a few bars were smashed up and a few heads cracked. Any other country would be ashamed but we are now inured to it. Did the Dutch, no pussycats, smash up Dublin after they lost on Saturday? No.

The prospect of a repeat, in Japan and South Korea next summer, of the trouble that marred World Cup 98 and Euro 2000, is the only sour note this morning. The team, under Eriksson's calm and logical command, have achieved maturity. Is it too much to ask that the fans, many of whose support is magnificent, should do the same?

Goals: Jancker (6) 1-0; Owen (12) 1-1; Gerrard (45) 1-2; Owen (48) 1-3; Owen (66) 1-4; Heskey (74) 1-5.

GERMANY (3-4-1-2): Kahn (Bayern Munich); Wörns (Borussia Dortmund), Nowotny (Bayer Leverkusen), Linke (Bayern Munich); Rehmer (Hertha Berlin), Hamann (Liverpool), Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen), Böhme (Schalke 04); Deisler (Hertha Berlin); Neuville (Bayer Leverkusen), Jancker (Bayern Munich). Substitutes: Asamoah (Schalke 04) for Wörns, h-t; Klose (Kaiserslauten) for Ballack, 67; Kehl (Freiburg) for Neuville, 77.

ENGLAND (4-4-2): Seaman (Arsenal); G Neville (Manchester United), Campbell (Arsenal), Ferdinand (Leeds United), Ashley Cole (Arsenal); Beckham (Manchester United), Gerrard (Liverpool), Scholes (Manchester United), Barmby (Liverpool); Owen (Liverpool), Heskey (Liverpool). Substitutes: McManaman (Real Madrid) for Barmby, 65; Hargreaves (Bayern Munich) for Gerrard, 77; Carragher (Liverpool) for Scholes, 83.

Referee: P Collina (Italy). Bookings: Germany: Hamann. England: Heskey.

Man of the match: Owen.

Attendance: 63,000.