Alan Smith has stated his belief that Adam Lallana was England's best player during their victory over Slovakia on Sunday.

England laboured to a 1-0 victory against 10-man Slovakia in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier in Trnava and it has to be said that the Three Lions' performance during the evening was at times subpar.

Nonetheless, the display of match-winner Lallana was a certainly positive for manager Sam Allardyce to look back upon and now former Arsenal star Smith has gone on to express his view that the Liverpool attacker was the best player on the pitch for England.

Smith told Sky Sports: "Adam Lallana was England's best player. His overall game was lovely, neat and tidy and inventive.

"He deserved the goal and he hit the post a few minutes before that.

"You thought 'when is he going to get on the scoresheet for England?' and what a time to do it to take all three points deservedly home.

"Really England were the only team in it. I don't think Slovakia had an effort tonight as the home team, even when they had 11 men, which tells you the story."