England striker Harry Kane has urged supporters to stay patient after they booed Gareth Southgate's side during Friday's 4-0 win over Malta.
The Three Lions struggled to break down their lowly hosts at the Ta'Qari National Stadium, and when the half-time whistle blew with the scores still goalless a number of England fans voiced their displeasure at the performance.
Kane eventually broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute before three late goals - including a second for Kane - added gloss to the scoreline, but the Tottenham Hotspur man rejected claims that their struggles for much of the match were down to a lack of heart or desire.
"I think that's a thoroughly unfair statement. Every player here is very proud to represent their country. There's a lot of hard work and effort to get where we are. It started at a young age and took a lot of hard work and dedication. Anyone who says that doesn't understand what it takes - that's probably why they're sitting at home watching it and we're out there playing," he told reporters.
"Obviously they can be frustrated, we were frustrated in the first half. We want to blow teams away. But they have got to stay patient, just as we did and we scored four very good goals in the end.
"But sometimes people underestimate the teams we play. Especially at home they can make it difficult, particularly in the first half when they're energetic. It's a big scalp to try to get a result against England. We're by no means the finished article, there's lots of work to do, and we've just got to stay patient as a country together. It's not going to happen overnight."
Kane has now scored five goals in his last three games for England and 10 in 20 overall.
