Gareth Southgate, Raheem Sterling Defend Joe Gomez After Fans Boo England CB

Both England coach Gareth Southgate and forward Raheem Sterling came to the defence of Joe Gomez after the Liverpool man faced boos from some fans during the 7-0 win over Montenegro. 

Per the Times' Henry Winter, Southgate was disappointed in the fans:

Sterling took full responsibility for the incident with Gomez that led to his being sidelined for the match and praised his team-mate for his hard work:

Thursday's match was supposed to be a joyous occasion, marking England's 1000th international outing. The team also booked their spot in the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament with the win, which saw Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane net a hat-trick.

But instead, the match was overshadowed by the boos for Gomez, who came on as a second-half substitute.

The 22-year-old has been in the news since an incident between himself and Sterling one day after the 3-1 win for Liverpool over Manchester City. The two clashed during the match and had a row on Monday, resulting in Sterling's suspension. Gomez was pictured with a scratch on his face after the altercation.

The City man took to social media to explain to his fans he and Gomez had moved on, and he hoped supporters would do the same:

That wasn't the case, however, and BBC Sport's Phil McNulty couldn't believe some fans acted the way they did on Thursday:

The Mirror's John Cross was surprised by the reaction, as he thought Gomez's behaviour in the aftermath of the incident has been impeccable:

England cruised to their most lopsided win of the qualifying campaign without Sterling, who has bagged eight Group A goals already this season and ranks among the team's most consistent performers.

The Three Lions will play their final qualifier against Kosovo on Sunday.