England's Bukayo Saka said that he knew instantly the kind of hate he was going to receive after his penalty was saved during Sunday's Euro 2020 final.

Saka, 19, and Jadon Sancho had spot-kicks saved and Marcus Rashford hit a post as Italy beat England in a penalty shootout to win the tournament.

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England forward Jadon Sancho says "hate will never win" after he received racist abuse following the Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy on Sunday.

Sancho, 21, Marcus Rashford, 23, and Bukayo Saka, 19, were targeted on social media after all three missed penalties in the 3-2 shootout loss. England manager Gareth Southgate, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Football Association all condemned the abuse.

"As a society we need to do better," said Sancho in a post on Instagram. "And hold these people accountable."

England’s Euro 2020 defender Tyrone Mings has accused the home secretary, Priti Patel, of pretending to be disgusted by racist abuse, after she previously described taking the knee as "gesture politics". Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho were targeted after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final. Patel was quoted as saying that she was disgusted by the online abuse directed at the trio.

Mings said that she ‘stoked the fire’ by refusing to criticise fans who booed the England team for taking the knee. Patel declined to comment on his tweet, but Downing Street said she was "working every day to clamp down on hate crime, racism and violence".

The Aston Villa star was angered by a perceived lack of action by the government when some fans booed the players taking the knee before the tournament. Taking the knee has become a prominent symbol in sport and during anti-racist protests in recent years, and England players have been adopting the stance at the start of their matches.

In June, Patel said that she would not support people participating in that type of “gesture politics". When asked if she would criticise fans who booed England players taking the knee she said: "That's a choice for them, quite frankly."

Writing on Twitter, Mings said: "You don't get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message as 'Gesture Politics' and then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we're campaigning against, happens".

The government defended Patel, but saying: "There is no place for racism in this country and she is backing the police to hold those responsible for this abuse accountable." Health Secretary Sajid Javid, on the other hand, said that he fully respected players who took the knee, adding that everyone should show respect to those who did so.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was due to discuss online abuse, but former Premier League footballer Anton Ferdinand, himself a victim of racist abuse during his career, told the government: "Sort your own house out before going after social media platforms.”

He said there was no point in the government talking about what it was planning to do when, as the people that run this country, they are not condemning those who boo players taking the knee. How can you not condemn that, but then come out and say it's about social media?"

After apologising for missed his penalty in a statement posted on Twitter, Rashford added: "I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from." A mural of him in his hometown of Withington was defaced after his penalty miss - but it was later covered in hundreds of messages of support and solidarity.

He said that he was on the verge of tears when he saw the supportive messages – before the mural has since been repaired. England captain Harry Kane said that Rashford, Saka and Sancho deserve support and backing, not the vile racist abuse they received.

"If you abuse anyone on social media you're not an England fan and we don't want you," he added.

England manager, Gareth Southgate, called the racist abuse issued after the defeat "unforgivable", with the English Football Association also condemning it. The Metropolitan Police is investigating the abuse and said that it will not be tolerated, while the UKFPU (UK Football Policing Unit) has also launched an investigation.

Tyrone Mings's intervention comes after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused PM Johnson of having "failed the test of leadership" by not condemning fans who booed England players taking the knee. Ahead of Euro 2020, after England's final warm-up game, Downing Street stopped short of condemning fans who had booed players who took part in the anti-racism protest.

Seemingly stopping short of declaring to support the taking of the knee, Johnson later said he wanted supporters to cheer England players, and not boo them.

Addressing those who sent abuse, the prime minister said: "Shame on you - I hope you will crawl back under the rock from which you emerged." Sir Keir said Mr Johnson's comments had come too late, adding: "The actions and inactions of leaders have consequences, so I'm afraid the prime minister's words today ring hollow."

The home secretary was also criticised by Baroness Sayeeda Warsi - a former Conservative minister - who said: "If we 'whistle' and the 'dog' reacts we can't be shocked if it barks and bites. It's time to stop the culture wars that are feeding division. Dog whistles win votes but destroy nations."

Another Conservative MP, Fay Jones, said that she supported players trying to fight racism. However, she said that “taking the knee is a political symbol. I think that's the problem that certain people have had with it".

The abuse received in the aftermath of the defeat against Italy also raised questions about the role of social media companies, with the home secretary saying: “Social media companies could no longer ignore some of the appalling, vile, racist, violent and hateful content that appears on their platforms.

"We have been clear that if they do not stamp this out we will take action against them in the Online Safety Bill." The proposed legislation is yet to be published but it could give the media watchdog Ofcom powers to fine social media companies up to £18m if they fail in their duty of care.

The Football Association has also urged social media companies to ban abusers from their platforms, as well as gathering evidence to make prosecutions easier. In a statement, Facebook said it had removed comments and accounts directing abuse at England's footballers.