Malta 0-4 England: Harry Kane scores twice as the Three Lions disappoint despite flattering scoreline
Harry Kane scored twice as England netted three times in the last five minutes to see off lowly Malta with a flattering 4-0 scoreline.
A stultifying first-half was met with boos by the away fans but Kane's first at least gave England the grace of a one-goal cushion for the majority of the second half against a team ranked 190th in the world by FIFA.
The floodgates opened late on as Gareth Southgate sealed a first away win as England boss, Ryan Bertrand finishing from long-range, substitute Danny Welbeck lifting the ball deftly over the keeper and Kane rifling home to finish it in injury-time.
England kicked off and began at a lively pace, little more than a minute gone when Kane forced the ball through to Raheem Sterling, who looked to be perfectly placed to get the ball rolling early.
But the Manchester City man lingered a touch too long and Malta's Surrey-born goalkeeper Andrew Hogg, who excelled in the 2-0 win at Wembley, smothered the danger.
Hogg followed up with a sensational one-handed save soon after, tumbling to his left and parrying Kane's powerful close-range header after Dele Alli's cross from the right-hand side.
In between those chances Malta made a surge of their own. Having earned a throw-in from Hart's clearance they worked the ball centrally, where Ryan Fenech's 20-yard strike whistled uncomfortably close to the upright.
Alli was nudging up close to Kane in the number 10 position and was in the right place to meet Henderson's cross, only to turn his shot over the crossbar. Malta happily gave up territory in a bid to crowd their final third with red shirts and the trail soon went cold for England.
England had the ball in the net as the first half reached its mid-point, Jones nodding in Henderson's corner, but an early whistle for a foul on Hogg meant there were no celebrations from England or their fans.
The tempo slowed to a crawl at times, as Southgate's side probed away at an increasingly solid defensive shield.
Ebbsfleet defender Sam Magri, a former England youth team-mate of Sterling and Nathaniel Chalobah, was carrying himself well, with Andrei Agius and Joseph Zerafa also throwing themselves into blocks and clearances.
A rare lapse in concentration from the hosts saw Agius inadvertently turn the ball towards his own goal, but it crept wide with Hogg covering.
The Maltese fans, seemingly under-enthused by the entertainment on offer, launched into a Mexican Wave and promptly booed the away end for declining to join in.
Oxlade-Chamberlain drew one more save from Hogg on the stroke of half-time but it was a tame effort and a regulation stop.
Sterling carried the can for the turgid first-half, hooked at the break for Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United man showing his willingness to run with an early foray down the left.
But it would take more than one change in personnel to lift the Three Lions, a fact Malta almost underlined in dramatic fashion on the counter-attack.
Jean Paul Farrugia kept the ball in athletically on the touchline, holding up play just long enough to bring Andre Schembri into the picture. The home captain controlled the ball neatly before lashing a cleanly-hit effort that skimmed wide of a post.
England finally breathed a sigh of relief in the 53rd minute when Kane rattled home from inside the area.
Alli helped tee up his Tottenham team-mate, sweeping up a half-clearance and taking several close touches in a crowded box before picking out Kane. The striker turned towards goal in one smooth movement and netted for the ninth time in international football.
The goal should have settled English nerves, but they came roaring back when Magri sauntered up from the back and sent a confident long-range strike wide.
For a brief moment the Portsmouth boy must have seen his name in many a morning headline, but instead missed his shot at glory by a couple of yards.
With the game meandering Southgate pulled Jamie Vardy from the bench in place of Alli, though Malta's deep defensive line did not look likely to offer any chances for a trademark raid in behind.
Indeed, when a fan raced on to the pitch, embraced Rashford, shook hands with Kane and then sprinted away from two policemen it was tempting to conclude it was the best solo run of the match.
An unsatisfactory one-goal win appeared to be on the cards when Bertrand took aim in the 85th minute. He was at least 30 yards from goal and his optimistic strike appeared to be borne more of frustration than inspiration.
But the otherwise impressive Hogg made a misjudgement, allowing the ball to skip in front of him and into the far corner. Bertrand, on the occasion of his first international, could hardly muster a celebration worthy of the name.
Welbeck, freshly arrived from the bench, nipped in front of Hogg to lift Kane's cross over the line after 90 minutes and an unwarranted sheen was added when Rashford picked out Kane, who cushioned the ball well and picked his spot from eight yards.