'We wanted double figures!' says Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson after England Under-21s thrash San Marino 9-0

Gareth Southgate's side secure record victory in Shrewsbury

Carl Jenkinson scored in England Under-21s record victory (GETTY IMAGES)

England Under-21s closed out the year with a record-breaking 9-0 defeat of San Marino, although Carl Jenkinson was disappointed not to take the scoreline into double figures.

Young Lions manager Gareth Southgate called for his side to be ruthless in front of goal in Tuesday's European Championship qualifier and they did so in style.

Fans flocked to a sold-out Greenhous Meadow hoping for goals and the Under-21s did not disappoint, racking up a win that usurps their previous best of a seven-goal margin of victory set in 1976 and 2009.

Arsenal right-back Jenkinson netted the penultimate goal of the night and was pleased by the victory that keeps them in charge of Group 1, if frustrated not to win by an even larger margin.

"We had to be professional about things," Jenkinson, denied an earlier goal by room-mate Danny Ings, said.

"We got the early goal, which relaxed us, and kicked on from there.

"We know with the quality we've got that we could beat a team like this with ease. We did the job and did it really well.

"In the end, we were disappointed not to get 10. We did really well tonight.

"We've got to beat whoever is put in front of us. We're doing that really well at the moment - we're not conceding any goals and we're scoring plenty. We've just got to worry about ourselves.

"The quality and talent we've got in this squad is exceptional. We've got so much skill going forward and we're not conceding goals.

"We've got a lot to be positive about. Hopefully we will top this group."

It certainly looks like England will win Group 1 after what was their fourth successive victory - a run which has seen them score 21 goals without conceding.

The defeat of San Marino came courtesy of efforts of varying quality from Michael Keane, James Ward- Prowse, Thomas Ince, Jenkinson and Will Hughes, along with braces from Raheem Sterling and Ings.

While easily beating the minnows was always expected, the manner in which they did so impressed manager Southgate.

"I was particularly pleased with the attitude and the hunger to the end to do the right thing and to keep wanting to go forward," he said.

"It would have been easy for us to get sloppy and start the game in a sloppy way.

"I picked a team which I thought would move the ball in the way they did. The response tonight was excellent.

"It has been a really encouraging three months to see the quality we've got in depth and to see that it can be enjoyable to play in an England shirt.

"They played with freedom, they are playing with a smile on their faces.

"Of course, we have much tougher tests ahead and we are very conscious of that."