Southgate: Hart got England the point
After a number of Joe Hart saves earned England a point in Slovenia, Gareth Southgate praised his "fantastic" goalkeeper.
Gareth Southgate paid tribute to goalkeeper Joe Hart after his "outstanding" save earned England a point in Slovenia.
England toiled for long periods as they looked to add to their total of six points in 2018 World Cup qualifying, and settled for a goalless draw as their hosts were frustrated by the magnificent Hart.
The Torino keeper made a number of fine stops, with the pick of the bunch from Jasmin Kurtic's header, drawing Southgate's praise.
"[Hart has been] fantastic this week," he told ITV. "He is at his best when calm and composed – something he's aware of and something we've discussed.
"His attitude was excellent and his manner very calm. It was a brilliant, outstanding save – that got us the point."
And Southgate insisted it could prove to be a vital point when the campaign comes to a close, despite a poor performance in Ljubljana.
"I think the overall objective is to qualify," he said. "Long term, maybe that point will be important.
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"Everyone can see we could be better. Most of their chances came from our mistakes.
"Having said that, some mistakes came because we tried to encourage them to play on a poor surface. We encourage them to play but at sensible times."