Gareth Southgate could not hide his disappointment with the manner in which England conceded despite his side's brilliant World Cup victory over Iran.
The Three Lions cruised to a comprehensive 6-2 victory in their opening Group B fixture on Monday afternoon thanks to goals from Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and a Bukayo Saka double. England were 4-0 up with just over an hour on the clock when Mehdi Taremi pulled a goal back for Iran after an incisive pass from Ali Gholizadeh.
Substitutes Rashford and Grealish extended England's lead only for VAR to award the Middle Eastern side a penalty deep into added time after a robust challenge from John Stones during a set piece. Taremi made no mistake from the spot to grab another consolation goal and leave Southgate with mixed feelings.
"I'm a bit fed up with the end of it, really," Southgate told BBC Sport as he assessed the match. "To win by that margin and play as we did, we have to be happy.
"The players prepared, they looked ready, we felt we wanted to be that type of team, they dealt with the game well. It was a sticky first half, a lot of stoppages but we dealt with the threats. Our passing, movement was very good.
"I've got to be happy but we shouldn't be conceding two goals at that stage of the game and we'll have to be right on our game against the [United] States. It's a great start but we're going to have to be better."
Southgate's comments show he will be entirely pleased with nothing but a perfect performance at this World Cup as England look to improve on their semi-final exit at Russia in 2018 and final agony at Euro 2020.
Was a 6-2 scoreline reflective of the match? Have your say in the comments!
Up next for the Three Lions is a clash with United States on Friday before next Tuesday's encounter with Wales. Southgate is seeking better focus from his players in the games to come after an injury and VAR-struck fixture against Iran which led to a glut of added time in both halves.
"I think it's a consequence of the scoreline," Southgate said of his side conceding twice in the second half. "We had 24 minutes of added time across the game, so it's a long time to focus. We lost concentration and when we play at a slower tempo, we're nowhere near as effective."
Despite his frustration with conceding twice, the England boss added: " I thought our defence in the first hour controlled the game, possession and patient in the build-up. The midfield was excellent both Jude and Declan [Rice], our forwards looked a threat and that's a great marker to put down."
