Paul Simpson believes it was his side’s performance at both ends of the pitch which saw them run out 3-0 winners over Argentina.
The Young Lions picked up the three points in their U20 World Cup opener on Saturday, despite the South Americans totting up plenty of possession and attempts at goal.
But Simpson rejected claims that England’s opponents ‘ruled the game’ when questioned by the media after the game.
“It depends what you mean by ‘ruled the game’,” said Simpson, after goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Adam Armstrong and Dominic Solanke secured the victory.
"When you win 3-0, it's a bit disrespectful to say Argentina ruled the game.
"The difference between the two teams was that we were outstanding in both 18-yard boxes.
"We defended well in our box and in the other box, we were very clinical with our finishing as well.
"We finished our chances really well and it's not just about possession, it's about taking your chances and doing the other side of it as well.
"We knew it would be a difficult game because they've got some excellent players and they pass the ball well so we struggled to cope with their shape in midfield at first.
"But we're delighted with the start we've had to the tournament, it couldn't have been a more difficult game to start with.”
England’s record in the U20 World Cup has seen a long wait for a victory, with the editions in 2013, 2011 , 2009 and 1999 not yielding any results since their last victory in the 1997 edition in Malaysia when Michael Owen scored the winner against Mexico.
So Simpson was glad to see his side put that record to bed as his squad now turn their attention to Tuesday’s game with Guinea at the same venue.
"Our record over the last 20 years hasn't been good, this is the first win we've had in 20 years of U20 World Cup Finals so it's a big victory for us,” he added.
"I think the difference is this is a really talented group of players. They're experienced and we’ve prepared well and come here on the back of a good season.
"We have a very strong squad but it's not right to play 11 players through the tournament, the games are coming quickly so we will need to recover them and freshen them up.
"They had to chase a lot and work a lot and we have a lot of players champing at the bit who want to be involved against Guinea.
“We made three substitutions today so we still have players waiting for a chance and they may get that against Guinea.”
