Gareth Southgate delighted by England's control in 2-0 win over Ukraine

England made it two wins out of two to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2024 European Championship with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine at Wembley on Sunday.

Bukayo Saka laid on a tap-in for Harry Kane after 37 minutes before finding the net himself with a gorgeous curling finish three minutes later.

“Italy wasn't a perfect performance but we showed some really good qualities and tremendous resilience to get the result,” commented the England manager.

“(Against Ukraine) I thought was a really high-level performance with and without the ball throughout the game.

“They made a complicated game fairly straightforward.

“I said to the players I love being part of this team, they're a pleasure to work with.

“After half-time on Friday we didn't get out of our half for the first five minutes so the mentality wasn't right. Today we started both halves with far better control. Our back players really used the ball well and the midfield players were excellent. The spaces were for James Maddison, Chilly (Ben Chilwell) on the outside and Bukayo one-against-one. We didn't tire of doing the simple things well.”

Southgate was delighted to see the more ruthless edge Saka has shown for England and Arsenal this season.

“When he's in front of goal now he plays with real belief,” he said.

“That's evident with his club and the games with us. You're expecting him to score now when he goes through. That's a mentality shift as much as his technique.

“To be a really top wide player you need the numbers in terms of goals and assists and he's delivered that.

“His hunger and humility have got him on a good path and he has all the attributes to continue to improve and I don't see that changing.”

Phil Foden missed the game after his appendix was removed on Sunday morning.

“Phil over the last 48 hours had been having some symptoms and our doc got more concerned on Saturday afternoon so thankfully he was in a good position to see a specialist and get it operated on on Sunday," explained Southgate.

“It’s important we followed the good result in Italy with a win," reflected midfielder Jude Bellingham. “It feels rewarding. It feels like we have a really good atmosphere in the changing room. We want to express ourselves, but there’s a side of us with a bit of nastiness. We need to cover all sides of the game, and I think we’re doing that really well.

“We should be looking to win every game. You set yourself a standard and an expectation, and it’s important you match that.”

Ukraine coach Ruslan Rotan thanked the England fans for “an atmosphere like no other” in an international match he had experienced, and said his team deserved better.

"When you concede goals just before half-time in fact two goals in two minutes it makes your chance incredibly hard," he said.

"We knew who we were playing against, we knew the quality and strength of the England team but the Ukrainian boys deserved better."