Gareth Southgate has admitted that England "have a hell of a lot of work to do" after sealing a place in the 2018 World Cup thanks to Thursday's 1-0 win over Slovenia.

The Three Lions struggled to break down a tough side in a dour encounter at Wembley but went on to grab all three points when Harry Kane drilled home in the 94th minute.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker's late intervention put England top of Group F and six points clear of second-placed Scotland with just one fixture left to play.

Southgate acknowledged that his side were not "as sharp as we'd hoped to be" but insists that another late goal is no coincidence, while also hailing the defensive qualities of the opposition.

The England manager told ITV Sport after the game: "We played a team who have only conceded four goals in the competition and you could see why.

"We weren't as sharp as we'd have hoped to be, but we stuck at it and it's not a coincidence if you keep scoring late goals. We knew they had to win and were going to come onto us. We changed the formation at the end to try and exploit that.

"We know we have to be better but we're going to a World Cup and that's fantastic. I think this team has potential but we have a hell of a lot of work to do."

England conclude their qualifying campaign away to Lithuania on Sunday.