Alessia Russo scored twice as England signed off from Group A in style with a 5-0 win over Northern Ireland.

The Lionesses ensured they finished the group stage with a perfect record of three wins from three games, which got underway when Fran Kirby spectacularly got the opener five minutes before the break after Northern Ireland had frustrated their hosts with some dogged defending.

Beth Mead quickly added a second two minutes later before a Russo brace and an own goal after half time completed the scoring in Southampton to see England progress to the knockouts with an impressive record.

Before that though, it was Northern Ireland who had the first chance of the game inside the opening minute, with Lauren Wade breaking into the box after being released down the right, but her shot was well-saved by Mary Earps.

England quickly looked to assert their dominance, and thought they had the chance to open the scoring from the spot after six minutes only for VAR to rightly overturn the original decision.

However the Lionesses, unchanged from their 8-0 victory over Norway earlier in the week, struggled in the opening exchanges with possession often laboured and the Northern Ireland defence standing firm.

Midfielder Georgia Stanway did look bright and had England’s first sight of goal minutes later, but her cross was easily saved by Jackie Burns.

England continued to toil in search of the opening goal in Southampton but were limited in their chances by a resolute Northern Ireland.

Centre-back Millie Bright took aim from long-range only to see her rasping drive met by Burns diving down to her right.

And when those chances did appear, England spurned them in uncharacteristic fashion.

First, Ellen White skewed her shot wide of the post when played through by Lucy Bronze following a surging run from defence before the right-back herself headed wide from a free header in front of goal.

England began to knock on the door towards the end of the half, with the lively Stanway denied by Holloway on the line following intricate link-up play by Mead and Kirby.

And it was Kirby who eventually broke the deadlock for the Lionesses, and in some style, curling home into the top right corner from outside of the box with five minutes until the break.

It was the moment of brilliance that was needed to break down a disciplined and stubborn Northern Ireland defence, but it paved the way for a quickfire second for the hosts.

This time it was Mead who converted, firing into the bottom left corner from just inside the box for her fifth of the tournament after Northern Ireland failed to properly clear a corner.

England rang the changes at half-time, with Alex Greenwood, Ella Toone, and Russo all entering the fray, and the substitutes had an immediate impact.

Just three minutes after the break, Russo nodded home Mead’s cross for England’s third of the evening to put the Lionesses in total control.

And Russo added her second of the game just four minutes later, with fellow sub Toone threading the needle to find her Manchester United club mate who spun magnificently and slotted past Burns.

With the result assured on the south coast, the bite quickly ebbed away from the tie but England continued in search of more goals.

Toone fired narrowly from just outside the box on the hour before Keira Walsh, hunting her first-ever England goal, hit one over the bar.

A fifth came with just under a quarter of an hour remaining, with Kelsie Burrows miscuing a clearance into her own goal from a Mead cross.

Russo had a chance to seal her hat-trick with just minutes on the clock but could only fire over from another Mead cross, though it did little to take the shine off England’s win that sees them face either Denmark or Spain in the quarter-final.