After the late defeat to France four days previously England went into this match knowing another loss would mean elimination from Euro 2004 and for the first 20 minutes they looked nervous and edgy.

After Rooney's goal on 23 minutes England looked a bit more composed and second half goals from Rooney and Gerrard sealed the win.

And Eriksson said: "It's a good job done. When you lose as we did on Sunday you never know what the reaction will be. I thought the reaction would be very good - and it was. We were nervous at the beginning, it was difficult to keep the ball.

"But we've done the job and the three points are the most important thing today."

Eriksson praised the contribution of Everton striker Rooney, who became the youngest player to score in the European Championships at the age of 18 years and 237 days.

The Swede said: "He worked very hard and congratulations to him - at 18 that performance at this level is wonderful. The heat affected both teams but I'm happy because our fitness level is much better than it was in the World Cup in 2002 - so that's good for the future."

Wayne Rooney said: "It was a good result out there. It was a big day for us and we have come through in the end. It is a bit of a relief - a defeat and we would have been out of the tournament. 3-0 is good for us."