Interim manager Gareth Southgate heaped praise on Jesse Lingard following his "outstanding" England debut.
A disruptive fortnight was followed by a straightforward evening at Wembley, where Malta proved as much of a test as their world ranking of 176th suggested.
Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli netted in a win far more comprehensive than the 2-0 scoreline suggests, with Southgate's reign getting off to a solid if unspectacular start.
Lingard was one of the highlights for the interim boss, with the 23-year-old impressing on his first senior appearance after being selected ahead of Manchester United team-mate Marcus Rashford.
"I've got to look at how Slovenia played and see what's better suited for the game," Southgate said when asked if Rashford could come in for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier in Ljubljana.
"I think in terms of the decisions we made, Jesse Lingard came in and was outstanding.
"He linked the play really well and showed really good creativity at times. His links with Dele and Danny (Rose) on that side of the pitch were really, really exciting.
"Of course we've had three-and-a-bit days working with the players, so I've got to be realistic about how quickly some of the ideas can take place.
"In moments we moved the ball really well. I think at times we moved it a bit too slowly in the second half, and at times we played a bit longer than we needed to. But all those things will come in time."
Southgate, parachuted in after Sam Allardyce's abrupt exit, was pleased by the way England's players responded to his short time in charge.
There were a few moments of magic late in the first half at Wembley, but the performance tailed off markedly with the match all but won by half-time.
"We, at times, played some really nice stuff in both halves, and had plenty of chances to have made it more comfortable," Southgate said.
"I think in the second half, subconsciously, there was a feeling the game was won and we were looking towards Tuesday physically.
"We didn't bomb forward as we might have done had the scoreline been tighter, so I think there's certainly room for improvement, but that's not a bad place for us to be."
Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs has been called up for the trip to Slovenia after Ryan Bertrand suffered a first-half hamstring injury against Malta.
Raheem Sterling, Glen Johnson and Phil Jagielka have had to pull out of a squad already deprived of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne, Harry Kane, Jack Butland and Danny Drinkwater through injury.
Southgate has bemoaned that "remarkable" spate of injuries, but England remain overwhelming favourites to win in Slovenia.
"You could say if we'd won more comfortably (against Malta) there would be a danger of complacency for Tuesday," he added.
"I think they managed the game sensibly, albeit I know the crowd would have liked to have seen more goals as would we. Tuesday will be a completely different game, a completely different challenge."