Malta 0-4 England player ratings: 7/10 for £40M Liverpool man as Man United star claims MOTM following decisive second half display

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England brushed European minnows Malta aside tonight on their way to an easy World Cup qualifying victory as the Three Lions maintained their lead over Slovakia at the top of group F.

England had to wait until the 53rd minute before they finally broke down the resilient Malta defence, as Harry Kane put the Three Lions in front thanks to a fine piece of play from his Spurs teammate Dele Alli who did brilliantly to pick the striker out despite being surrounding by opposition players.

England then put the game to bed in the 85th minute, after Southampton stalwart Ryan Bertrand bagged his first England goals as the left-back saw his 25-yard strike fizzle past the Maltese shot-stopper to put the away side two goals to the good.

England then found a third through Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck, after the Gunners man was picked out brilliantly by Harry Kane before producing a delicate lofted finish over the ‘keeper to put the result firmly out of sight.

England them heaped more misery on the home side in the 92nd minute, after a good cross from Marcus Rashford found striker Kane, who had time to bring the ball down and slot home for his second goal of the night.

There were a serious lack of chances for either side in the first half, with the best opportunity falling to Alli, who skied his shot well over the bar as the Spurs star was found after lovely play from both Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who secured a £40M move to Liverpool from Arsenal on deadline day according to the Guardian.

Despite scoring four goals, this performance from England was less than convincing, with the Three Lions definitely needing to step it up a gear should they want to secure all three points against Slovakia at Wembley on Monday.

Malta player ratings: Hogg 4, Magri 6, Borg 5, Agius 5, Fenech 5, Schembri 6, Muscat 5, Farrugia 5, Kristensen 5, Zerafa 6, Pisani 5

Substitutes: Camilleri 5, Fenech N/A, Mifsud N/A

England player ratings: Hart 6, Walker 6, Jones 6, Cahill 6, Bertrand 7, Livermore 6, Henderson 7, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Alli 7, Sterling 6, Kane 8

Substitutes: Rashford 8, Vardy 6, Welbeck 7

More Stories Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Danny Welbeck Dele Alli Harry Kane Jordan Henderson Marcus Rashford Ryan Bertrand