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Gareth Southgates reign as interim England manager began with a 2-0 victory over Malta in Saturdays World Cup qualifier at Wembley. Southgate, in temporary charge after Sam Allardyces departure last week, watched as Daniel Sturridge headed the opener in the first half, with Dele Alli dispatching their second before a quiet second half.Here, we pick out five talking points from a solid but unspectacular victory for the Three Lions… Southgate makes winning startA few weeks ago Gareth Southgate was expecting to spend the international break preparing for the U21s meetings with Kazakhstan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Allardyces sudden departure has thrust him into an unfamiliar role, and he can have few complaints about his first game in charge. Gareth Southgate speaks to Sky Sports after Englands 2-0 win over Malta It was not the thrashing many people had anticipated, but England could hardly have been more comfortable. Eighty per cent possession and 20 shots to Maltas one highlighted their dominance, and their two-goal half-time lead allowed them to coast through the second period and conserve their energy for Tuesdays trip to Slovenia.A meeting with Malta is unlikely to have much bearing on whether Southgate gets the job on a permanent basis, but its a platform to build on and the 46-year-old was pleased with the result. I thought we did some very good things, he told Sky Sports. After a difficult 10 days, for them to play like they did in the first half was pleasing. Theres a lot more to come.Henderson pulls the stringsJordan Henderson has made a strong start to the season with Liverpool and his impressive form continued at Wembley. The 26-year-old was deployed in his usual deep-lying midfield role, but that didnt stop him being Englands main creative outlet. Liverpools Jordan Henderson was named man-of-the-match He carved Malta open with a string of accurate long-range passes in the first half, setting up Jesse Lingard for a glorious chance before providing the assist for his club team-mate Sturridge to score the opener. He was heavily involved in the second goal, too, bursting into the box and teeing up Alli to find the net at the second attempt. Henderson the creator Jordan Henderson created four goalscoring chances against Malta - twice as many as any other player on the pitch. Henderson was a peripheral figure at Euro 2016, but recent evidence suggests he may be worthy of a more prominent role in the national side. Southgate will have been impressed by what he saw.Rooney returns to midfield Rooney may not have a future in Manchester Uniteds midfield but he was back in the middle of the park for Southgates first game in charge of the national team - just as he was under Allardyce against Slovakia. Wayne Rooney returned to Englands midfield at Wembley He saw plenty of the ball, taking 170 touches and completing 133 passes, but his contribution was minimal compared to his midfield partner Henderson, and he was also fortunate to avoid punishment for a studs-up challenge on Malta captain Andre Schembri in the first half.Englands midfield was rarely troubled in a defensive sense by the Group F minnows, but with Eric Dier waiting in the wings, Rooney offered little to suggest he would merit a place in the starting line-up against stronger opposition.Sturridge makes his caseSturridge only played eight minutes of Englands opening group game against Slovakia last month, so he will have been pleased to mark his return to the starting line-up with a goal against Malta. Daniel Sturridge scored from Jordan Hendersons cross in the first half The Liverpool man made the most of slack marking to guide Hendersons cross into the net, and he would have added to his tally were it not for a combination of wasteful finishing and impressive goalkeeping by Maltas Andrew Hogg.All in all, though, it was a good nights work for the 27-year-old. England have real competition for places in attack, but Harry Kanes injury has given Sturridge a chance to stake his claim. He will be hoping to keep his place in the team over Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford against Slovenia.Tougher tests to comeThe result was never in doubt here, but Southgates credentials will be more strongly tested on Tuesday night in Ljubljana. The Three Lions needed an 86th-minute winner from Rooney on their last trip to the Slovenian capital in June 2015, and it will be another tricky test this time around. Maltas Alfred Effiong controls the ball under pressure from Wayne Rooney and John Stones Southgate may still be in place when England welcome old foes Scotland to Wembley in a months time, and then theres the prospect of a showpiece friendly against Julen Lopeteguis Spain. Southgate and his players put the Allardyce affair behind them with Saturdays easy win over Malta, but there are far more difficult tests ahead.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Solid start for Southgate England 2-0 Malta recap Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys .Chanathip Songkrasin opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Kroekrit found the target twice in the 57th and four minutes from fulltime.Vietnam and Malaysia play their second leg on Thursday. Vietnam won the first leg 2-1. Josh Allen Bills Jersey . 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Anything less than gold for either nation is considered a disappointment. Yet for Switzerland, advancing to the semifinal might be a victory in itself.Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis underwent knee surgery on Wednesday on his torn right anterior cruciate ligament. The Penguins announced the successful surgery Wedneday night on the teams official web site. Dupuis suffered the injury in a game aagainst the Ottawa Senators on Dec.dddddddddddd23. He is expected to miss the remainder of the 2013-14 season rehabbing his right knee. In 39 games with the Penguins this season, the 34-year-old Dupuis has scored seven goals and 13 assists. ' ' '