A mercurial Lauren James scored two and provided an assist in a thrilling four-goal first 45 minutes against Greece, as England put themselves two games away from securing their place at the World Cup.

James's double was matched by Alessia Russo, who scored either side of the break, and her Arsenal ­teammate Georgia Stanway was also on the scoresheet, with the Lionesses setting up a playoff final against Ukraine in November and December. It was a clinical and slick statement from England, albeit against a team they should bypass with ease.

Any Greek hopes of arriving in Leicester and launching a Trojan horse-style smash and grab, after a hugely impressive performance in their 3-1 defeat by an ­unconvincing Lionesses team in Crete, were quickly dashed.

Sarina Wiegman had said on the eve of the game that she wanted to see improvement in the final third. In the King Power Stadium, which had a club vibe to it before kick-off as dance remix after dance remix blared out, the Lionesses responded to their manager's call, Russo producing the first goal from the first shot and first attack in the third minute.

James was the architect, the ­Chelsea player driving forward and picking out the No 9, who shrugged clear of Eleni Markou's challenge before firing a low shot in.

It was Russo's fourth goal in four games for club and country, with the Arsenal forward having gone five Women's Super League games without a goal before this run, and it was a sign of things to come from a team keen to shake off criticism of their lack of ruthlessness.

James was in majestic form, her injury worries behind her this season, and England fans were treated to a glimpse of what they missed at the Euros in Switzerland in 2025, when a less than half-fit James struggled and looked frustrated as her body failed to meet her demands on it.

James has said that the best is yet to come from her and Wiegman agreed. "I think so," said the manager. "She was really enjoying herself, scored some great goals, but also picked up some great positions. I thought she looked really fresh and played well."

On the Chelsea forward's use more centrally, having previously been preferred in a wider role, Wiegman said: "As a winger or inverted winger she does similar things. She can play any position up front, right or left, because she's right- and left-footed. When she plays on the outside she also gets the opportunity to come inside, and I think she can do both things then, and that's when she comes to life."

James delivered England's ­second and fourth in Leicester, her two first-half goals sandwiching ­Stanway's header into the far corner from ­Lauren Hemp's chipped cross.

For her first, the 25-year-old ­cushioned Maya Le Tissier's pass before sending a rising drive goalwards with her left foot. Her second was far simpler, the unmarked forward turning in Hemp's ball from close range.

Wiegman leapt on the opportunity presented by the 7-1 aggregate scoreline to rotate ­further at the hour mark, with Niamh Charles, Jess Park and Freya Godfrey given a chance to demonstrate why they should be on the plane to Brazil should England overcome Ukraine.

Whether the changes took the sting out of the game or England just eased back on the intensity given the margin did not really matter because the home team remained in complete control of the ball. Their more than 50-place superiority in the Fifa world rankings was far more ­evident in Leicester than it had been in Heraklion.

Russo was the beneficiary of ­England's patience as the clock ticked down, collecting Keira Walsh's angled pass before she raced clear, stepped around Styliani ^­Katergiannaki in the Greece goal and rolled the ball into the empty net.

"I think today we played a lot better," said Wiegman. "We totally dominated the game … As soon as we got in behind and we scored that goal that helped and I think after that we were really, really good in the final third."

Ultimately, despite the performance put on there is very little to be learned from a game against a team so far below England's level. Any slip-up would only ever have been of England's own making, as the poor defending for Greece's goal in Crete demonstrated. However, perhaps that sluggishness could be ­attributed to a rustiness after a four-month break from international football.

Ukraine are up next, the homeless team preparing to face the European champions after a 4-1 aggregate defeat of Slovakia.

England met Ukraine in their World Cup qualifying group earlier in the year and secured a 9-1 margin across the two matches, so it would take the most almighty of collapses for the Lionesses to fail to book their place in Brazil now.