Gareth Southgate held back on criticising England's performance in their 1-0 defeat to Italy that saw them relegated to League B of the Nations League on Friday.

A lacklustre game of football saw Italy steal all three points thanks to a second half strike from Giacomo Raspadori, condemning England to a fifth game without victory for the first time in eight years and confirming their Nations League relegation.

England were poor again on the night in a performance that worried fans watching on, with their World Cup opener against Iran less than two months away.

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But, speaking to media after the game, Southgate maintained that there were positives: "[It's] difficult of me to be too critical of the performance: more possession, more shots, more shots on target.