Having suffered a pair of narrow defeats to North Macedonia and Italy in their opening two Group C fixtures, Malta knew the odds were stacked firmly against them as table-toppers England made the trip to Southern Europe.
True to form, it was the Three Lions who wasted little time in asserting their authority on proceedings, as an inviting cross from Bukayo Saka was inadvertently bundled into his own net by Ferdinando Apap to give the visitors the lead inside ten minutes.
Buoyed by the early breakthrough, England looked to move through the gears in a dominant first-half showing, and their superiority was rewarded with two goals in the space of three minutes.
First, Alexander-Arnold - seemingly at home in a more central position - curled a superb long-range effort into the top corner, before Harry Kane tucked home from the spot after being brought down by Matthew Guillaumier.
Faced with a daunting three-goal deficit, Malta emerged after the restart desperate to stem the tide. However, it was only England’s profligacy in front of goal which prevented further damage to the scoreline, as James Maddison and Kane both fluffed their lines when well-placed in the box.
With victory all but sealed, the visitors coasted through the final half-hour, as Southgate introduced Eberechi Eze for his long-awaited Three Lions debut.
That provided England with a spark in the final third, and Callum Wilson converted a late penalty after Steve Borg was harshly adjudged to have handled in the box, wrapping up a comfortable victory for the visitors.
The result sees England move six points clear at the top of Group C, meanwhile Malta remain bottom after a third consecutive defeat.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
