Match Analysis: England 1-0 Ukraine

England booked their place in the quarter-finals of the European Championships courtesy of a 1-0 win over Ukraine this evening.

Not only did the win allow the Three Lions to progress, but it also knocked the co-hosts out of the competition.

Sports Mole has reviewed how the match in Donetsk unfolded.

England's statistics:
Shots 9
On target 4
Possession 43%
Corners 6
Fouls 12

Ukraine's statistics:
Shots 15
On target 5
Possession 57%
Corners 10
Fouls 11

Was the result fair?

In terms of the rules of the game, no! The home side had a legitimate goal not given because the extra official on the post failed to spot that the ball had crossed the line. Ukraine also had the better of the chances, but England rode their luck and held out for the victory.

England's performance

Tonight's display will hardly cause quarter-final opponents Italy to lose any sleep. At times they looked nervy at the back, while in possession they were wasteful at times. One plus will be the 80 minutes that goalscorer Wayne Rooney managed to get under his belt.

Ukraine's performance

There wasn't much more Ukraine could have done to score a goal. Granted they are limited in attack, but they caused England numerous problems. The outcome may have been different had Andriy Shevchenko been fit to start.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Steven Gerrard: Yet another captain's performance from Gerrard. While he plays in a more defensive role for England, the skipper pulled the strings from the middle of the pitch. Used all his experience to slow down play and win free kicks. He also set up the goal for Rooney - his third assist of the tournament.

Referee performance

Viktor Kassai was largely unnoticeable during this encounter - which is always a positive for a referee. The Hungarian official did not issue his yellow card until well into the second half, which allowed the game to flow. However, he was let down by his assistants over the failure to award Ukraine a goal.

Biggest gaffe of the game

He has looked shaky all tournament long and Andriy Pyatov was no different here! The goalkeeper really should have done better with Gerrard's cross, which eventually fell to Rooney, who headed in from one yard.

What next?

England: The quarter-finals on Sunday against Italy in Kiev to be precise. They will certainly have to be better in possession against the Italians, who are always known for their streetwise football.

Ukraine: Home, which isn't far to go! To be fair, minus the match against France in which they were totally outclassed, the co-hosts have shown plenty of positives throughout the tournament.