Midfielder Adam Lallana has revealed that new England boss Sam Allardyce had stressed the importance of a clean sheet ahead of their fixture with Slovakia.
It appeared that the Three Lions would begin their qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup with just a point, but Lallana struck in the 95th minute to secure the perfect start to Allardyce's reign.
Allardyce had said in the build-up to the match that he would have been content with a draw against arguably England's toughest opponents in the group, and Lallana acknowledged that remaining disciplined had been part of their strategy in Trnava.
The 28-year-old told ITV Sport: "It is a great start for him and the team. He made it very clear to us that he wanted to keep a clean sheet. Coming anywhere away from home in World Cup qualifiers is going to be tough.
"I thought we were very disciplined today at times and as the game went on and they were down to 10 men, we did create our chances and sometimes you just have to stick it out until the last minute and thankfully today, we got the goal."
England are next in action when they host Malta on October 8.
Darren Plant
