"Sir Gareth Southgate is the best manager of all time" - Social media explodes as England knock out Netherlands to reach Euro 2024 final

Fans have hailed England boss Gareth Southgate as the best head coach after leading his team to the Euro 2024 final following a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday (July 10).

The Three Lions - for the third straight knockout game - fell behind as Xavi Simons opened the scoring inside seven minutes at Signal Iduna Park. However, Southgate's side hauled themselves back on level terms through a contentious penalty converted by captain Harry Kane 11 minutes later.

England began to look like the better side as the game wore on, with Phil Foden hitting the woodwork and Bukayo Saka's goal ruled out for Kyle Walker's offside in the build-up. Southgate rang the changes, bringing on Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer.

The two supersubs combined to score the winner, with Watkins drilling home a superb low right-footed effort past the Netherlands custodian Bart Verbruggen. The Three Lions held on to reach successive Euro finals for the first time, booking a blockbuster final date with three-time winners Spain.

Fans reacted with joy, with one already knighting Southgate and calling him the 'best' ever:

"Sir Gareth Southgate is the best manager of all time."

Another chimed in:

"Watkins >>>> Kane. But we are not ready for this conversation."

One fan reckons it's 'coming home':

"It's coming home guys"

However, one fan, Dr. Simon Goddek, wasn't convinced about the Three Lions' passage to the final, tweeting:

"How can a team play that badly throughout an entire tournament and still make it into the final?"

Chirdi, though, foresees the cup 'coming home':

"It might FINALLY be coming home."

It's the first time the Three Lions have reached a major tournament final on foreign soil. Can they end their 58-year major title drought on Sunday (July 14) in Berlin in the Euro 2024 final?

---

"Lost for words" - England's Ollie Watkins after scoring Euro 2024 SF winner against the Netherlands

England forward Ollie Watkins celebrates his goal in the Euro 2024 final.

England striker Ollie Watkins was at a loss for words after coming on as a late substitute for captain Harry Kane and scoring the winner to put his team into the Euro 2024 final.

Replacing Kane with nine minutes of regulation time remaining, Watkins latched on to a ball from fellow substitute Palmer before firing a precise effort into the far post beyond the Dutch goalkeeper. Describing his emotions after scoring the winner, he told the BBC:

"Lost for words really. When you score there are emotions that come through your body but this is just a different feeling. It was in slow motion when I ran to celebrate with the boys. I didn’t want to get off the pitch at the end. I wanted to soak it all in, as it doesn’t happen often.

"You don’t get that opportunity very often, and I had to be greedy and take the shot. I don’t think I have hit the ball so sweet like that before. I didn’t dream about that to be honest. I can’t lie and say I did, scoring for England is amazing, but I didn’t think I’d do it in a tournament like that."

Up next for the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final are a Spain side looking to become the first four-time winners in competition history.