England captain Steven Gerrard has praised Rickie Lambert after the Southampton striker scored his third international goal against Moldova.
The Three Lions cruised to a 4-0 win at Wembley with the captain opening the scoring before Lambert added a second and a Danny Welbeck double completed the scoring.
England now head to Ukraine without Welbeck who is suspended, and with Daniel Sturridge still a doubt due to injury, and Gerrard says Lambert will be key."He's come onto the scene with a bang, so a goal and a couple of assists you can't ask for any more," he told the FA’s official website.
"The manager took him off because he should play some part on Tuesday and he'll be an important player for us."
"It's a massive game [against Ukraine], but we have nothing to fear and can go there full of confidence.
"We need to believe in ourselves, roll our sleeves up and put in a performance because if we were to get all three points it puts us in the driving seat."
The captain also feels his side deserve credit for their victory over Moldova, which takes them to the top of their World Cup qualifying group on goal difference.
"It was a perfect result really," he added. "Sometimes against these teams you are in a no-win situation and people expect you to blow them away and score lots of goals.
"There was pressure on in a different way tonight, we knew we were going to win the game but we had to do it with a clean sheet with a lot of goals. That was the only way we were going to get any credit."
Gerrard also admitted he was delighted to get on the scoresheet once more for his country and says the team are looking good ahead of Tuesday’s vital match.
"It's always nice to score goals, I've been really happy with my performances for England but if you can add a goal to those performances from time to time it's a really nice feeling,” he added.
"But the important thing is the win, getting more points and one step closer to the World Cup. It sets us up nicely for a big game on Tuesday. But delighted all round tonight."
Popular Posts
-
David de Gea insists Manchester United head to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in high spirits after beating Bayer Leverkusen in midweek. Dav...
-
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola believes his side will continue to improve once key players recover from injury and his squad continu...
-
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says he could imagine retiring in the Spanish capital. Ancelotti took over the reins from Jose Mourin...
-
Real Madrid are prepared to splash out up to €400 million in an attempt to revamp the Santiago Bernabeu into the world's finest footb...
-
Manchester United need to sign "three top-class footballers" if they are to compete for trophies, says former Chelsea manager...
-
Roma have confirmed that Francesco Totti has signed a two-year contract extension that will see him remain at Stadio Olimpico until 201...
-
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson feels the club are poised for further success, despite their poor start to the season....
-
Former Germany boss Erich Ribbeck has piled the pressure on Joachim Low, insisting failure at next year's World Cup would be unforgiva...
-
Wayne Rooney could be in line for a new contract at Manchester United if his scoring form continues, according to the club's former...
-
Former Barcelona assistant coach Henk Ten Cate believes that Lionel Messi 's ability is unrivalled in world football, claiming C...
Sortt-Info
Sportt-Info
Sportt-Info
Sportt-Info