Phil Neville conceded after England scrambled from behind to beat the Czech Republic 3-2 late on that his team need to be better. “The win was important because we’ve now won two out of three,” he said jokingly with a big grin on his face. “I didn’t think the result was in any doubt.

“To play in front of 400 and to come out and feel that eerie atmosphere in the snow, in the sleet and cold, and to perform with that attitude I thought was great,” he said more seriously.

Leah Williamson strikes late to salvage victory for Neville and England Read more

“But we’ve got massive improvements to make. We’re conceding too many goals, we let goals in easily and we’re giving teams that smell that they can get at us and win.”

When asked whether Leah Williamson’s goal had lifted the pressure on him he said: “I never felt pressure on me. I’ve had unbelievable backing from the FA. They are going to throw their absolute weight behind the next push we’re going to make. That’s been the message that I’ve had.”

He added: “It’s probably poignant that Leah scored the goal at the end of the year when she’s had to be really patient and the last four games she’s been our best player.”

It was Williamson’s first goal in an England shirt. “I heard Keira Walsh behind me saying: ‘It’s going in’ and I thought: ‘It is,” she said laughing. Obviously the result is very important,” Williamson added. “I said the game against Portugal was a must-win game; this also was a must-win game. We don’t want to go backwards. We are not going to fall down the world rankings, we are up there to stay. We will fix what has been going wrong on the pitch and tonight was the first step.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Phil Neville during the match. Photograph: Lynne Cameron for The FA/Rex/Shutterstock

Asked if they were fighting for Neville, she said: “He is part of the team. We are a tight team, we are very close, all of us. I am very proud to be a part of the team and to be playing under Phil.

“There has been a lot of criticism. He has criticised us himself and we all take responsibility for what has been going on. Tonight was about fighting for England and trying to take the pressure off a little bit.”