These are the moments when it is probably wise to remember – this being England, after all – that it is never sensible to overdose on optimism before the World Cup actually starts.

Yet there are at least grounds for positivity and increasingly there is a sense that Gareth Southgate’s players are high on confidence, capable of putting together some vibrant football and not showing any obvious signs of the end-of-season fatigue that has weighed them down before major tournaments in the past.

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Southgate is certainly entitled to be encouraged after another satisfying win most notable for the spectacular first-half goal with which Marcus Rashford announced his intentions to press for a starting place when England arrive in Russia on Tuesday.

At the very least Rashford has reminded the England manager that, on form, he is capable of producing moments of outstanding and rare quality. He can be erratic sometimes, yes, but on this evidence he can trouble even the most accomplished defences and when Rashford can score goals of this brilliance it is tempting to make an argument that Southgate should find a way to shoehorn him into the team.

The reality, however, is that by the time England are ready to face Tunisia in Volgograd on Monday week it might be that only John Stones from this starting lineup will be among Southgate’s first-team picks. The latest friendly was a game for the back-up players mostly. It was not only Rashford who seized the opportunity – Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabian Delph both impressed in their attacking midfield roles – but however much Southgate talked about places still being up for grabs the likelihood is that the players he selected for the 2-1 win against Nigeria last Saturday will, on the whole, begin in the World Cup.

Quick guide England player ratings Show Hide Jack Butland Surprisingly given the nod ahead of Jordan Pickford but the Stoke keeper made a couple of decent stops. 7

Phil Jones Did little wrong but did not come under much pressure and always sense he could drop a clanger. 6

John Stones Only player to start both warm-up games but gave the ball

away a couple of times. 6

Harry Maguire Lucky to get away with it on two occasions when Joel Campbell got in behind him. 6

Trent Alexander-Arnold Unlikely to oust Kieran Trippier for a starting

spot in Russia but the youngest player in the squad coped well. 7

Jordan Henderson Wore the captain's armband and constantly looked to press the opposition – but Southgate may prefer Eric Dier. 7

Danny Rose Showed enormous bravery off the pitch this week and started brightly but was disappointing in second half. 6

Ruben Loftus-Cheek Linked up well with Henderson and provided the assist for Rashford's opening goal. 7

Fabian Delph Leeds lad gave a good account of himself at home and moved seamlessly into a deep midfield role. 7

Marcus Rashford (pictured) Staked claim to a starting spot in Russia with blistering performance and scored terrific opener. 8

Jamie Vardy Missed a chance to double the lead and only touched ball eight times in first half before being subbed on the hour. 5 Substitutes

Danny Welbeck (on for Vardy) Ever-reliable forward came off the bench and made an impact with diving header from close range. 7

Kieran Trippier (on for Alexander-Arnold) Should have done better from set pieces after coming on but seems likely to get a starting spot. 6

Gary Cahill (on for Stones) Did not have much to do but was vocal and Southgate may be swayed by his valuable experience. 6

Jesse Lingard (on for Loftus-Cheek) Only had 10 minutes to impress but came close to scoring straight away and looked lively again. 6

Dele Alli (on for Henderson) Energetic when he came on, linking up well once again with Lingard and crossing for Welbeck's goal. 7

Nick Pope (on for Butland) Is unlikely to feature at all in Russia but given his England debut by Southgate, who has done so well in harvesting team spirit. 6 – Ratings by Martha Kelner

– Submit your own ratings at the bottom of the match report Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/X03805

The encouraging part for Southgate is that, throughout his entire squad, there is not a single player who could be accurately described as off-form. Danny Welbeck, the only outfield player not to have started either of England’s last two games, was brought on just after the hour and, within 15 minutes, he had doubled the lead with a close-range header. Trent Alexander-Arnold acquitted himself well on his first international appearance, operating as a right-sided wing-back, and there was also a debut for Burnley’s Nick Pope, England’s third-choice goalkeeper, when he replaced Jack Butland during the second half.

Jordan Henderson, who captained the side in Harry Kane’s absence, played with considerable authority – the choice between Henderson and Eric Dier increasingly looks like one of Southgate’s tougher decisions – and the only disappointment, perhaps, was that Jamie Vardy found it difficult to impress.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Danny Welbeck tumbles to the ground after scoring England’s second goal against Costa Rica. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

The Leicester striker managed only eight touches in the opening half and was substituted after 61 minutes. He could not take his best chance with a spinning close-range effort and, by the end of the night, he might have been forgiven for wondering if he had fallen back in the pecking order of front players.

Rashford, on the other hand, was electric, a frequent menace to the Costa Rica defence and clearly emboldened by scoring a 13th-minute goal from the kind of angle and distance, almost 30 yards out, that would have put off many players in the same position. His contact with the ball was delivered in a way that many players of his generation have copied from Cristiano Ronaldo, striking it with great power but in a way that is deliberately designed to make his shot dip late on, almost like a beach ball, in the final part of its trajectory.

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This one was aimed diagonally, right to left, and started off so high it gave the goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, no chance of reaching it. The ball finished in the top right-hand corner and it is fair to say the Leeds supporters in the Don Revie Stand who had booed Rashford’s name when the teams were read out – along with that of Phil Jones, another Manchester United player – changed their tune for the remainder of the evening. Well, until Jesse Lingard was brought on.

Rashford had shown early on that he was in the mood, eluding one of the Costa Rica centre-halves, Kendall Waston, with a lovely piece of deceptive skill on the byline, but he was not the only England player to catch the eye. Loftus-Cheek’s link-up play was another prominent feature and Delph, a more accomplished player than many people appear to realise, looked comfortable occupying a more advanced midfield role than his usual position at Manchester City. Rashford was the obvious choice for the man-of-the-match award but Delph – one of five Yorkshiremen in England’s starting XI – would have had reasonable grounds otherwise.

Costa Rica are 23rd in Fifa’s world rankings – only 11 places back from England – but they were overwhelmed by the energy of their opponents in the first half. It was a tepid display from los Ticos and, unlike during the Nigeria game, Southgate’s team did not relinquish their superiority after the interval.

Butland had a relatively stress-free evening before making way for Pope and Southgate could also reflect on several other chances for England, most notably when Navas kept out Henderson’s 20-yard drive and Harry Maguire’s header was cleared off the goalline from a corner. Dele Alli, another second-half substitute, supplied the cross for England’s second goal. Rashford was also involved and Welbeck added the finishing touch with a stooping header.