Gareth Southgate hailed Harry Kane as the “best goalscorer in the world” after the England captain saved England’s Nations League campaign with two crucial interventions against Croatia at Wembley.

Kane made the equaliser and scored the winner with two pieces of instinctive forward play, rescuing England from relegation to League B and sending them to the finals in Portugal next June. Kane has faced plenty of criticism recently but Southgate was full of praise for his captain, not just for those two moments but for his all-round game.

“Harry is the best goalscorer in the world, frankly,” Southgate said afterwards. “You’re always loathe to take a player off of his ability. I know people have questioned some of those decisions over the summer, but he’s our main penalty taker, and our leader. In 98 per cent of the games, his hold up play and goalscoring is critical. He played a fantastic pass for Raheem [Sterling] after dropping off deep and turning in the first half. We have huge belief in him. He is so hungry to lead the team on and further.”

England vs Croatia player ratings Show all 14 1 /14 England vs Croatia player ratings England vs Croatia player ratings Jordan Pickford 6 - Croatia didn’t test Pickford on many occasions, though the goalkeeper was fortunate that Rebic failed to capitalise on an early error. Fine otherwise. AP England vs Croatia player ratings Kyle Walker 6 - Combined well with Raheem Sterling down the right, being allowed to get forward often. Getty Images England vs Croatia player ratings Joe Gomez 7 - Walker’s forward freedom often left Gomez a little isolated, but the Liverpool defender responded brilliantly, coping with Ivan Perisic impressively. An emerging force, and his range of passing is strong. REUTERS England vs Croatia player ratings John Stones 6 - Not as eye-catching or involved as his centre-back partner, but still managed to play a number of good passes. REUTERS England vs Croatia player ratings Ben Chilwell 7 - Another accomplished showing. His delivery into the box was hit-and-miss, but his ball for the winner was excellent. Getty Images England vs Croatia player ratings Eric Dier 6 - A positive performance from Dier, who slipped between Stones and Gomez when in possession and played similarly potent diagonals. One error at 1-0 that could have cost England, but did his job effectively. AFP/Getty Images England vs Croatia player ratings Fabian Delph 8 - Gave the midfield balance as a left-footed, left-sided player, and combined nicely with Rashford in the second half. AFP/Getty Images England vs Croatia player ratings Ross Barkley 6 - Growing into his role in this England team. Worked hard, used the ball nicely and kept the team ticking. Action Images via Reuters England vs Croatia player ratings Marcus Rashford 7 - If Sterling was the player of the first half, Rashford was the player of the second. Though substituted before both goals, he tormented Tin Jedvaj and the rest of Croatia’s right-side, producing several magnificent forward surges. AFP/Getty Images England vs Croatia player ratings Raheem Sterling 7 - Outstanding in the first half, a constant menace in behind and combining well with Kane. Faded as the game wore on, but still looked a threat with his pace. EPA England vs Croatia player ratings Harry Kane 8 - A goal and an assist from the captain to mark a strong all-round performance. Worried the Croatian defence throughout, and will be glad to break his goalscoring drought. EPA England vs Croatia player ratings Dele Alli 6 - Alli was on the longest of the England substitutes but might have been the quietest of the trio to come on. Gave England another body to throw forward. Getty Images England vs Croatia player ratings Jadon Sancho 6 - A couple more glimpses of his considerable talent in an enterprising 20 minute cameo. Action Images via Reuters England vs Croatia player ratings Jesse Lingard 7 - Lingard helped spark England’s comeback and popped up at the right time to score the simplest of tap-ins and equalise. AFP/Getty Images

Southgate was delighted with England’s progress, winning the group, and said that he could never have envisaged England having a 2018 this good.

“I’m hugely proud of all the players and staff,” Southgate said, when looking back at the year. “We’ve grown together. We’ve improved every step. Today was another big occasion, a big experience. There was plenty of pressure on the game, and expectation, but they coped with it really well.”