Gareth Southgate takes responsibility for ‘chastening’ defeat by Hungary

Gareth Southgate took full responsibility for England’s heavy home defeat against Hungary on what he described as a “chastening night” for his side.

It was the heaviest defeat England have sustained on their own shores since 1928 and completed a dispiriting set of Nations League results over the past 11 days. Hungary’s resounding win at Molineux meant they did the double over Southgate’s side, who also drew with Germany and Italy. None of those games brought a goal from open play and losing so convincingly against a side hardly ranked among the world’s elite raises uncomfortable questions before the World Cup kicks off in November.

“It’s a chastening night,” Southgate said. “We’ve not lost many matches and when you lose so heavily with England it’s going to be very, very painful.

“I feel for [the players] because, in the two Hungary games in particular, I picked teams where I tried to balance the squad, give young players opportunities, and I didn’t get the balance right for them to perform at the level they needed to win those matches.”

Southgate made nine changes from the Italy game but Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Kalvin Phillips and Bukayo Saka were among the regulars who started. “The players have been fantastic,” the manager said. “The responsibility lies with me. It was very difficult to put the strongest team out in every game so we used it to prepare for Qatar. But of course a night like tonight is very difficult and it’s important to take that off their shoulders because it’s totally down to me.”

The crowd made no secret of their displeasure as Hungary turned the screw in the second half, with widespread chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” and audible catcalls from the stands. It was a far cry