The Three Lions opened their Euro 2024 qualification campaign in style with back-to-back wins, setting them up nicely.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka both scored in the 10 minutes prior to half-time in a game where England had 18-3 shots including 8-0 on target.
England bossed possession with 58 per cent, while they had almost 600 passes and dominated the corners count 7-1.
“Italy wasn’t a perfect performance but we showed some really good qualities and tremendous resilience to get the result,” Southgate said.
“(Against Ukraine) I thought was a really high-level performance with and without the ball throughout the game.
“They made a complicated game fairly straightforward. I said to the players I love being part of this team, they’re a pleasure to work with.
“After half-time on Friday we didn’t get out of our half for the first five minutes so the mentality wasn’t right.
Today we started both halves with far better control. Our back players really used the ball well and the midfield players were excellent.
“The spaces were for James Maddison, Chilly (Ben Chilwell) on the outside and Bukayo one-against-one. We didn’t tire of doing the simple things well.”