England vs. Malta: Score and Reaction for World Cup 2018 Qualifying

England grabbed their first win under interim manager Gareth Southgate on Saturday, beating Malta 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, London, in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before half-time, as the Three Lions dominated their overmatched opponents in every facet of the game.

The hosts barely left first gear in the second half, cruising to an easy win.

As shared by the Three Lions' official Twitter account, Manchester United starlet Jesse Lingard made his debut:

Simon Peach of the Press Association noted his first start for the team came with a new form of entertainment at Wembley Stadium, and he wasn't a fan:

Wayne Rooney started the match by cheaply giving away the ball to Gareth Sciberras, but the hosts quickly settled down after that and took control.

Southgate urged his players to be patient in their buildup, and the first real chance fell to Rooney, who fired a free-kick into the wall. Goalkeeper Andrew Hogg was forced to make his first save shortly after, denying the captain after some great work from Kyle Walker and Theo Walcott.

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England found some success out wide and used a steady stream of crosses to find chances, with Lingard fluffing a shot and putting the ball into the stands from close range.

The Daily Mirror's Alex Richards liked what the youngster brought to the team:

Sturridge fired a tame effort into Hogg's arms after 16 minutes, his first real action on the ball, before Ryan Bertrand went down with an injury after stretching too far to reach a pass.

He was unable to continue and was substituted for Danny Rose, who has been struggling with health himself, per Henry Winter of the Times:

Lingard went close after a great pass from Jordan Henderson shortly after, as the Three Lions increased the pressure. Hogg somehow kept out a header from Alli after another fine pass from Henderson, with Sturridge missing the rebound.

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It took 29 minutes for the hosts to open the score, with Henderson picking out Sturridge at the back post and the Liverpool striker calmly guiding home a header.

Per Squawka Football, he equalled the scoring record of one of England's most popular players with that goal:

The Three Lions pushed on in search for a second goal, but Hogg continued his heroics with a number of great saves, most notably on Lingard. Gary Cahill almost doubled the lead with a powerful volley after a corner, but his effort missed the target.

It was Alli who bagged the second goal, following up after Hogg saved his initial shot. Former England international Gary Lineker got a little carried away:

Sturridge had two more chances to make it 3-0 before the official blew for half-time.

Striker Alfred Effiong endured a dreadful match, as either Cahill or John Stones constantly guarded him, and he couldn't make the most of one of the few looks he got early in the second half.

Malta put up more of a fight after the break, as England played with less urgency, and it took another free-kick for the Three Lions to threaten, with Hogg again making a stop. Effiong also had another touch inside the box after a free-kick, but England cleared in time.

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Hogg just managed to clear a ball ahead of the onrushing Alli, and the stopper flashed his talent again to deny Walcott after a great run from Lingard. Sturridge could have done better after finding some space inside the box, but his touch let him down.

Lingard deserved a goal for his fine debut but was unlucky not to score when the Malta defence was caught napping and Rooney played a quick free-kick to his United team-mate. The 23-year-old's shot had Hogg beaten, but it was aimed at the wrong side of the post.

England took their foot off the gas for most of the second half, but as shared by WhoScored.com, the hosts didn't have to be at their best:

It was Andrei Agius who put Joe Hart to work for the first time with a volley the Torino star dealt with easily. Substitute Marcus Rashford set up Alli with a clever bit of skill, only for the latter to send the ball into the stands. Rooney also missed the target shortly before the end of regulation, and after two minutes of injury time, the match came to an end.

Goalkeeper Jack Butland was one of many to congratulate Southgate on his first win:

England will visit Slovenia for their next match on Tuesday, while Malta will travel to Lithuania.