Millions of England fans held their breath. Their team had scored four penalties in the shoot-out. Switzerland had missed one. If Trent Alexander-Arnold scored with his attempt, victory would be theirs.

The Liverpool star took his run-up - and powered the ball into the top left-hand corner. YE-E-ES! GOAL! England were through to the semi-finals!

Gareth Southgate could hardly have asked for a better way to celebrate 100 games as England's manager. Yet had England lost, his time in charge would probably have been over. Despite all his successes, he continues to face an army of critics.

"Right now," writes Barney Ronay in The Guardian, "Southgate is arguably the most rage-inducing person in the country, the object of constant unchecked derisionRidicule or mockery. The word originates from the Latin deridere, meaning to scoff at. ."

England, Ronay admits, have been dreadful at the Euros. Southgate's team selections have been a mess and the midfield is "comically unbalanced".

And yet, Ronay argues, Southgate is the most consistently successful manager England have ever had. In the major tournaments the team has competed in since he took over in 2016, it has reached two quarter-finals, one semi-final and a final.

Critics are right to say that Southgate is lucky in having such good players at his disposal. But Ronay points out that England have always had good players. The difference is that Southgate created "an environment in which they could flourish".

Writing in the i Paper, Daniel Storey agrees. Though Southgate's tactics can be frustrating, "England's footballers believe in this manager, believe in their ability to drag themselves out of adversity and believe in the communal desire to keep calm when others might lose their heads."

The statistics support this. In the five most recent Euros matches where England have conceded the first goal, they have come back to win.¹

Is the criticism unfair?

Yes: As England manager, Southgate has won 60 games and lost only 16 - a hugely impressive record. His ability to instil self-belief in his players more than makes up for his shortcomings.   

No: England have made frustratingly heavy weather of the Euros. Southgate seldom picks the best team, is over-cautious in his tactics and makes substitutions much too late in the game.

Or... All football fans consider themselves experts, but they forget the enormous pressure Southgate is under. Only someone who has held an equally high-profile job is qualified to criticise him.