England vs Malta LIVE! Euro 2024 qualifier result, match stream and latest updates today

England ensured a top seeding at Euro 2024 with a laboured 2-0 home victory against Group C makeweights Malta on Friday that will not live long in the memory of an underwhelmed Wembley crowd.

Until the 75th minute all that separated Gareth Southgate's lacklustre side from 171st-ranked Malta was an early own goal by Enrico Pepe and they had some anxious moments in between.

Captain Harry Kane finally doubled England's lead with his 62nd goal for his country after good work by Bukayo Saka before Declan Rice had an effort ruled out for offside.

There was precious little to get enthused about though as several England fringe players wasted the chance to make a statement of intent to Southgate.

England had already qualified for next year's finals in Germany and victory over Malta ensured they will win Group C, regardless of what happens in North Macedonia on Monday.

Southgate's side have 19 points from their seven games with Italy, who beat North Macedonia, and Ukraine on 13.

England vs Malta latest news

• Lacklustre Thee Lions lack fluency and labour to win at Wembley

• England player ratings

• England waste chance to entertain a full house

Good night!

23:30 , Jonathan Gorrie

Thanks for joining Standard Sport's LIVE coverage of England's win over Malta.

Find our report, reaction, ratings and analysis here!

Southgate addresses lacklustre England performance against Malta

23:29 , Jonathan Gorrie

Gareth Southgate says he has no concerns about his England players coasting into Euro 2024 following Friday's drab performance against Malta.

England's final home game of the 2023 ended with a 2-0 win over the fourth-worst side in Europe, sealed by an early own goal by Enrico Pepe and Harry Kane's 75th-minute strike.

It was a measure of England's display that they did not muster a shot on target until the 64th minute when Trent Alexander-Arnold drew an easy save from the Maltese goalkeeper.

England had already qualified for next summer's European Championship in Germany and Southgate says he is not worried about his team sleepwalking into the finals.

Read his full comments here!

England waste chance to entertain with dour win over Malta

22:12 , Jonathan Gorrie

What should have been an opportunity for England to put on a show for a sell-out home crowd was instead a dismal advert for international football.

A laboured and soporific 2-0 win over Malta will go a long way to guaranteeing England a place among the top seeds at next summer's European Championship but was a wasted chance to entertain a young Wembley audience and for Gareth Southgate to experiment.

England had already booked their place in Germany and, much as Southgate insisted publicly -- and to his players -- that this month's internationals remained important, in reality the visit of Malta was both a dead-rubber and a foregone conclusion.

Read Dan Kilpatrick's full analysis here!

England ratings vs Malta: Alexander-Arnold stakes claim on poor night for Henderson

21:56 , Jonathan Gorrie

England's final home match of a successful year was one which failed to ever spring into life, as the Three Lions beat Malta 2-0 at Wembley in their penultimate Euro 2024 qualifier.

Safely into the finals next summer thanks to last month's victory over Italy here, they were pressed well by minnows Malta but took the lead through Enrico Pepe's unfortunate eighth-minute own goal when Phil Foden's cross fizzed into the net off the centre-back.

England had penalty claims from Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford waved away — and Kane was even booked for a perceived dive — before they finally mustered the second goal in the 75th minute as Bukayo Saka squared for Kane to convert from close range.

Declan Rice had a stellar goal disallowed just minutes later when Kane, offside, was in the goalkeeper's eye-line as the ball went in. From there, England were home, hosed, but never inspiring in a 2-0 victory which matches the scoreline of Gareth Southgate's first game in charge, also against Malta at Wembley back in October 2016.

Dom Smith was Wembley Stadium to rate the England players’ performances…

Lacklustre Thee Lions lack fluency and labour to win at Wembley

21:55 , Jonathan Gorrie

England signed off for the year at Wembley with a rather meek win over Malta.

An own goal from Enrico Pepe and a second-half strike from Harry Kane do not tell the whole story on a night when the Three Lions struggled for fluency.

Read our full match report here!

FT: England 2-0 Malta

21:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

It's over!

Not a great night for England.

England vs Malta: Six minutes added on

21:35 , Jonathan Gorrie

90 mins: More chance for England to inflate the scoreline.

England vs Malta: Not enough to convince

21:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

88 mins: England have upped the tempo in the closing stages but even a late goal would do little to stop the questions as to why this has been so bad.

England vs Malta: Dom Smith at Wembley

21:24 , Jonathan Gorrie

Shame for Rice that, who nearly had a memorable fifth England goal. Kane, offside, adjudged to have got himself in the eye-line of the goalkeeper. VAR disallowed it. Right decision, just about, but certainly on the harsher side.

England vs Malta: VAR rules it out!

21:23 , Jonathan Gorrie

78 mins: England denied their third after Kane was adjudged to have been offside.

England vs Malta: GOAL! Declan Rice '75

21:23 , Jonathan Gorrie

75 mins: And England turn on the style again!

Declan Rice curls one in from just outside the box.

GOAL! England 2-0 Malta: Harry Kane '74

21:19 , Jonathan Gorrie

74 mins: GOAL!

Walker plays in Foden, who finds Saka with one touch. He then squares to Kane, who rounds off a fluid move to score his 62nd goal for England.

England vs Malta: First shot on target for Three Lions

21:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

63 mins: Alexander-Arnold can't quite connect with a volley but, still, a first shot on target for England tonight...

England vs Malta: Cole Palmer on for debut

21:06 , Jonathan Gorrie

61 mins: Henderson and Rashford off for Rice and debutant Palmer.

England vs Malta: Accidental clash

21:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

57 mins: Alexander-Arnold has just clattered into Rashford, which sums up England's night...

England vs Malta: Dom Smith at Wembley

21:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

That looked another very strong claim for an England penalty there. If Kane somewhat hammed up the contact he received in the first half, the same cannot be said of Rashford there, who was genuinely bundled over by two defenders. England unlucky not to have had two penalties in this match.

England vs Malta: England improvement

20:58 , Jonathan Gorrie

52 mins: Foden bursts through the middle and finds Rashford, who is eventually blocked off in the box under a challenge.

Bit more pace about England here and the Man United forward was somewhat unlucky that wasn't given as a penalty.

England vs Malta: Dan Kilpatrick at Wembley

20:52 , Jonathan Gorrie

Many England fans have wanted to see Phil Foden given a go in midfield and it looks like he'll get his chance in the second half, with Gallagher making way at half-time and Bukayo Saka on. Gallagher missed a couple of days training at the start of a week after arriving at camp with a knock.

England vs Malta: Back underway!

20:50 , Jonathan Gorrie

Walker and Saka on for Gallagher and Tomori at the break.

HT: England 1-0 Malta

20:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

That was....not great.

England vs Malta: Dan Kilpatrick at Wembley

20:34 , Jonathan Gorrie

Paper aeroplanes starting to rain down from the stands as this bore-fest approaches half-time. A hugely uninspiring display from England so far.

England vs Malta: Dom Smith at Wembley

20:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

It has all just been more than a bit turgid, this. England have looked pretty disjointed, and Malta — to their credit — have pressed them well. Only 1-0 as we approach the 40-minute mark.

England vs Malta: Three Lions not with it

20:22 , Jonathan Gorrie

34 mins: They're seeing much more of the ball but are 1-0 up thanks to an own goal.

Not good enough in the final third.

England vs Malta: Dan Kilpatrick at Wembley

20:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

The referee has got that one wrong. Kane was clearly caught by goalkeeper Henry Bonello and even if the England captain went down a little theatrically, it's a clear penalty.

England vs Malta: Harry Kane booked!

20:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

28 mins: Kane rounds the goalkeeper after Malta caught out playing from the back.

Looked a penalty but the England captain is booked for DIVING.

England vs Malta: Three Lions back on top

20:09 , Jonathan Gorrie

20 mins: That pretty poor start woke England up early. They're now dominating as expected.

England vs Malta: Dom Smith at Wembley

20:05 , Jonathan Gorrie

Malta just hanging on at the minute, getting their lunges and tackles and blocks in before England seize the space and possession they have. You sense a second is coming, but England lack clear-cut chances at present.

England vs Malta: Dom Smith at Wembley

19:58 , Jonathan Gorrie

Sensational touch by Foden to control Guehi’s pass and use it to flood forward into space. His cross is poor but smacks off the unfortunate Enrico Pepe and flies into his own net.

England with an eighth-minute lead against Malta scored by a Malta player. How did they take the lead in their 4-0 win in the reverse fixture? With an eighth-minute goal scored by a Malta player of course…

England vs Malta: GOAL! Pepe OG '8

19:56 , Jonathan Gorrie

08 mins: Great play from Foden to get around Pepe and his cross deflects off the defender.

The Malta goalkeeper pulls off a great save but cannot keep it from crossing the line after hitting the post.

Strange goal!

England vs Malta: Visitors pressing high

19:54 , Jonathan Gorrie

05 mins: A very good start from Malta, who are happy to engage England quickly.

England vs Malta: CHANCE FOR MALTA!

19:49 , Jonathan Gorrie

01 mins: Sloppy play from England sees Gallagher give the ball away in the middle of the park, allowing Teuma to have a shot.

Very close to an absolute shock...

England vs Malta: KICK-OFF!

19:47 , Jonathan Gorrie

We are underway!

England vs Malta: Tributes to Sir Bobby Charlton

19:39 , Jonathan Gorrie

Wembley lit up for an emotional tribute to one of England's greatest, Sir Bobby Charlton after his passing last month.

England vs Malta: Dom Smith at Wembley

19:20 , Jonathan Gorrie

Wembley is filling up nicely here. It’s very impressive that it’s a sell-out crowd tonight for a dead-rubber qualifier against Europe’s fourth-lowest-ranked side. Fair play to England and the FA for shifting those tickets — and the punters for snapping them up!

Confirmed Malta lineup

19:07 , Jonathan Gorrie

Malta XI: Bonello, Steve Borg, Pepe, Jean Borg, Joseph Mbong, Yankam, Guillaumier, Teuma, Camenzuli, Paul Mbong, Reid

Subs: Grech, Kristensen, Nwoko, Overend, Jones, Al-Tumi, Muscat, Shaw, Attard, Pisani, Muscat, Apap

England vs Malta: Another chance for Trent Alexander-Arnold

19:04 , Jonathan Gorrie

Handed the iconic England No.10 shirt tonight, the Liverpool star gets another chance to impress in midfield.

England vs Malta: Standard Sport's reporters react to team news

19:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

Dan Kilpatrick and Dom Smith are in position at Wembley.

England vs Malta: Dom Smith at Wembley

18:48 , Jonathan Gorrie

So, as was expected and as Gareth Southgate suggested would be the case yesterday, Trent Alexander-Arnold is given another chance in attacking midfield, just as he was in Malta for the return fixture in June, when he scored a corker from outside the area in a 4-0 win.

Presence of Guehi, Tomori, Gallagher and Henderson speak not just to the injury issues Southgate has had to contend with this international break but also the fact this is an experimental line-up.

Confirmed England lineup

18:44 , Jonathan Gorrie

England XI: Pickford; Trippier, Tomori, Maguire, Guehi, Gallagher, Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Foden, Kane, Rashford

Subs: Walker, Johnstone, Konsa, Grealish, Lewis, Saka, Rice, Watkins, Bowen, Palmer, Ramsdale, Phillips

England vs Malta: Trent Alexander-Arnold motivated by Euro 2024

18:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

Trent Alexander-Arnold says moving into midfield for England has given him a new lease of life.

The Liverpool right-back made the switch this summer after holding talks with England boss Gareth Southgate.

Alexander-Arnold has previously struggled to nail down a place in the England team, with Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier ahead of him in the pecking order at right-back.

Read the full story here!

England vs Malta: London-born star out to 'hurt' England on special night

18:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

As Jodi Jones prepares for the biggest game of his life, he thinks first of his family.

When Malta, ranked 171st in the world, face England at Wembley on Friday night, Jones will be part of their team.

The 26-year-old winger was born and grew up in Bow, east London, and plays for Notts County in League Two.

But he qualifies for Malta through his father and has represented them since September last year.

Read his full interview with Dom Smith here!

England vs Malta: Gareth Southgate explains decision to hand Cole Palmer call-up over Raheem Sterling

17:53 , Jonathan Gorrie

England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he called-up Chelsea's Cole Palmer ahead of club-mate Raheem Sterling because of injuries to No.10s Jude Bellingham and James Maddison.

Palmer was promoted from the Under-21s on Monday after Maddison pulled out of the squad with ankle ligament damage, while Bellingham withdrew on Tuesday due to a shoulder problem which kept him out of Real Madrid's game at the weekend.

Sterling, once a Southgate favourite, was overlooked again, despite his impressive form for Chelsea this season and the 28-year-old has now been absent from all five England camps since last winter's World Cup.

Read the full story here!

England vs Malta: Ezri Konsa targets Euro 2024 spot after 'surreal' first call-up

17:44 , Jonathan Gorrie

Ezri Konsa says he is targeting a place at Euro 2024 after being called up to the England squad for the first time.

Brighton’s Lewis Dunk and John Stones of Manchester City had already dropped out of the squad for games against Malta and North Macedonia when Konsa was given his maiden England call-up on Monday.

Read the full story here!

England vs Malta: Gareth Southgate points to Sir Bobby Charlton legacy as inspiration to end wait for trophy

17:30 , Jonathan Gorrie

Gareth Southgate has stressed to his players how Sir Bobby Charlton’s legacy demonstrates there is nothing greater than winning a trophy with England.

Charlton died last month and will be honoured by the Football Association at Wembley on Friday night when England face Malta.

There will be a crowd mosaic and big-screen video celebrating his life, followed by a pre-match ceremony and a period of applause. Players will also wear black armbands.

Southgate has showed his players clips of Charlton, who helped England win their only World Cup in 1966, during their time in camp this week.

The England manager has always wanted to stress the importance of the side’s history to his squad, while also underline the legacy they can leave by winning a trophy.

Read the full story here!

England vs Malta: Head to head (h2h) history and results

17:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

The Three Lions have conceded just one goal across their six wins over Malta, and eased to a 4-0 victory away from home earlier this year.

England wins: 6

Malta wins: 0

Draws: 0

England vs Malta: Latest odds

17:23 , Jonathan Gorrie

England – 1/100

Draw – 20/1

Malta – 66/1

Odds via Betway.

England vs Malta: Harry Kane presence enough to lift low-key Euro 2024 qualifier at sold-out Wembley

17:22 , Jonathan Gorrie

A low-jeopardy qualifier against Malta on a dreary November night is not for everyone, but it is a measure of England’s attraction that Wembley is a sell-out on Friday.

The Three Lions have already secured their place at Euro 2024 and, as much as Gareth Southgate insists they need the points to guarantee their seeding in Germany next summer, the game against the side ranked 171st in the world is effectively a dead-rubber, as well as a foregone conclusion.

Read the full story here!

England vs Malta prediction: Three Lions rout expected

17:18 , Jonathan Gorrie

Another comfortable evening is in store for England at Wembley.

The Three Lions proved too good for Italy last time out, so Malta are unlikely to present any sort of challenge even if Southgate does opt to shuffle his pack.

Even with the likes of Bellingham and Maddison not available, this England team has so much depth in forward areas that anything other than two routine wins in this international break would be a major shock.

England to win, 5-0.

England vs Malta: Rashford could start

17:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

Southgate has been hit with a number of injury issues, with Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill the latest to pull out of the squad. The pair have shoulder injuries and have been out of action for Real Madrid and Chelsea respectively.

James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk had already withdrawn with injuries of their own, as England called up uncapped trio Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa as replacements.

Kalvin Phillips and Marcus Rashford did not join up with the squad until later in the week due to personal matters, but both are available to face Malta.

England vs Malta: Where to watch, TV channel and live stream

17:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

TV channel: In the UK, tonight's game will be televised live and free-to-air on Channel 4, with coverage beginning at 7pm.

Live stream: Fans can also catch the contest live for free online via the Channel 4 app and website.

Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from reporters Dan Kilpatrick and Dom Smith.

Welcome

17:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

Good evening and welcome to Standard Sport's LIVE coverage of England's final game at Wembley for the year tonight.

A Euro 2024 qualifier, albeit with the Three Lions already having booked their ticket to Germany, against Malta awaits.

Kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT.