Interim England manager Gareth Southgate has said that he is "pleased" with his side's 2-0 win over Malta at Wembley this evening.
Southgate kicked off his initial four-match spell in charge with a comfortable victory to take his side top of Group F in World Cup qualifying, although many were expecting England to emerge as more emphatic winners against a team ranked 176th in the world.
Southgate admitted that his side should have scored more than the two they managed, but was still happy with the team's performance following a difficult spell.
"I thought first half we played well, we could and should have scored more goals. Their goalkeeper made some good saves and subconsciously I think some of our players looked after themselves physically in the second half," he told reporters.
"We missed a couple of good chances but given where we were 10 days ago I am pleased with the result. We could have moved the ball more quickly but the game in Slovenia will be different. We managed today would have liked more but we'll go from there.
"I have enjoyed the whole week. I would have liked to give the crowd four or five goals but in their last qualifying group Malta only lost by one goal against Croatia and Italy in both matches. There goalkeeper played well and they defended in heavy numbers but we could have won it by more."
Southgate's second match at the helm will come away to Slovenia on Tuesday.
Barney Corkhill
