Hero as his late strike brings the Wembley good times back
glut of first-half chances before falling behind to a shock goal from Andrej Kramaric.
Sub Jesse Lingard, who curled in a peach against the USA last Thursday, came off the bench to do it again. This effort was far more scruffy but even more important.
Kane slid in five minutes from the end to yet again make himself the last-action hero.
He added: “It felt good. The lads stuck at it. We showed our character, stayed calm and deserved to win.
“We were disappointed not to take our chances but against big sides you have to stay calm.
“We said after the World Cup we want to keep progressing and get better – and the way to do that is by beating top teams. We finished the year strong. We’ll enjoy this one.”
Lingard added: “We kept the confidence, spirit and togetherness from the World Cup. Well done to the lads and staff who stuck together through the highs and lows.”
As well as preventing a relegation that would have sparked negativity, Kane’s goal guarantees England a place in the Euro 2020 play-offs.
Southgate said: “I think our group on form has been the toughest to come through.
“That’s a significant step for us. We were very close against Spain here as well. The quality of the performances and the depth of the squad that has emerged – we had real options on the bench to change the game, and that’s a real shift over the last couple of months. So I’m very proud.
“The tone was set the other night. The players showed a really high level, showing the competition and quality coming through. We saw the game through with some maturity as well.”