England 6 China 1: Lauren James stars as Lionesses ease through to World Cup knockouts

England thrashed China to ease their way through to the World Cup knockout stage.

Lauren James was the star player, scoring twice and setting up three more, as the Lionesses beat China 6-1 to finish top of Group D.

Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly and Rachel Daly were also on target as England looked in top form at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.

They will now face Nigeria in the last-16 knockout stage on Monday.

What did you think of England's performance? Can the Lionesses go all the way and win the tournament? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

England's perfect start

Alessia Russo drills a low shot past China's keeper to give England an early lead

England only needed a draw to make sure of winning their group but the Lionesses were in no mood to take it easy as Alessia Russo scored a brilliant goal in the fourth minute. It was the start all England fans had hoped for.

Defender Millie Bright won the ball, and when the rebound fell to Russo, the striker drilled it low into the corner of the net for her first goal of the tournament.

England on the double

All smiles for Lauren Hemp as she breaks away to score England's second

England had only scored one goal in each of their previous group stage games but they started against China like the team that won the European Championships last summer, and it was no surprise when the second goal was scored with just 25 minutes on the clock.

Millie Bright was again at the centre of the action, and her pass to Lauren James allowed the Lionesses to break from the halfway line. James, who scored the winner against Denmark, pushed through the perfect pass for Lauren Hemp to run clear and slot the ball past keeper Zhu Yu.

It's Lauren James again ... and again (almost)

Lauren James and Alex Greenwood celebrate England's third goal of the day

Lauren James has been England's player of the tournament so far, and the Chelsea player deservedly gave the Lionesses a three-goal lead with another stunning strike from outside the penalty area.

And there was no stopping there. James then got the ball on the edge of the area and curled a shot past the keeper to make it FOUR.

But after a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) review, the official ruled the goal out for offside.

After setting up two goals and scoring another, James still had an amazing first half.

China hit back

England conceded their first goal of the tournament following another VAR review on the hour mark.

Lucy Bronze handled the ball on the goal-line following a scramble in the box, and Wang Shuang scored the penalty.

Lioness keeper Mary Earps had hardly touched the ball up to that point.

But there's no stopping James ...

What a goal. What a player. As England looked under pressure after that China goal, they turned to Lauren James again, and the Chelsea star answered with another stunning goal to make the game safe.

Jess Carter crossed to the far post and James volleyed the ball into the top corner. She's having her own goal of the tournament competition.

And then there's five and six

Chloe Kelly gave Millie Bright a delighted hug after scoring England's fifth goal

Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning goal in the Euro final against Germany last summer, got in on the action late in the second half.

A mix-up in the China defence gave Kelly a tap-in for the easiest goal of her career.

And then Rachel Daly made it six with a neat volley at the far post.

Scorer Rachel Daly and Millie Bright celebrate the 6-1 win over China

What they said:

Winger Lauren James: "It's what dreams are made of. I'm happy for the team; everyone is buzzing. We are looking forward to the next round.

"I felt free. Whether I'm on the wing or in the middle, I'm happy to be playing and contributing to goals."

England manager Sarina Wiegman: "I said before the game we had to do things a little different than we did before. We did really well it shows how adaptive we are on the pitch.

"Today it went really well. We want to use the qualities we have now and today it worked really well."

Midfielder Katie Zelem: "You could see by the smiles on our faces how we felt. It looked like a lot of things had come together that we had been working on."

When and where do England play next?

The Lionesses will play Nigeria in the last 16 knockout game on Monday 7 August in Brisbane. The game will kick off at 08:30 UK time, so set your alarm clocks.

How good are England's opponents Nigeria?

The Super Falcons are unbeaten in the tournament, beating host nation Australia 3-2, and drawing two of their group stage games.

They are strong in defence and have only conceded two goals so England will need to be at their best.

Young fans come out in force

There were lots of China fans in the stadium too including this young supporter

What did you think of England's performance? Can the Lionesses go all the way and win the tournament? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.