Once again, boss Sarina Wiegman selected four Chelsea players in the starting line-up, with Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh and Lauren James all named as part of the XI for the second game running.

This time, England performed well from the get-go, and it was Blues star Lauren James who kicked things off with a sensational finish to open the scoring midway through the first half. If nerves were remaining from the defeat to France, they soon disappeared after her superb opener.

Georgia Stanway put England 2-0 up in first-half stoppage time, James grabbed her second and finally Ella Toone finished the rout with 23 minutes remaining, as the Lionesses stormed to a 4-0 win in Zurich.

Here we look at how some of our Blues helped the Lionesses to victory...

Lauren James stars once again

James has enjoyed a remarkable return to action in recent weeks. The forward had been out injured since featuring in our 2-2 draw with West Ham at Kingsmeadow on 30 March but she battled back to fitness and only made her return as a 63rd-minute minute substitute during the Lionesses’ 7-0 win over Jamaica in their final warm-up friendly on 29 June.

Her performance in that half an hour at the King Power Stadium was a glimpse into how quickly she was set to return to form, immediately creating an assist for Alessia Russo.

Wiegman showed faith in the Chelsea star by naming her in the starting line-up for England’s opener against France, even though James had played so little football before the tournament began, and she retained her place again last night.

James’ world-class quality was on show for all to see in Zurich. When she is on the top of her game, England are a real force to be reckoned with.

That was proven on Wednesday night when James grabbed most of the headlines, delivering a standout performance which prompted international team-mate Toone to describe her as ‘unstoppable’.

Her first goal came from a perfectly executed long pass by club team-mate Hannah Hampton, who picked out Russo in the final third. The Arsenal forward played a short pass to James, who unleashed a left-footed shot from what seemed like nowhere, powering her strike into the top corner.

The shot registered as the fastest of the tournament so far with a speed of 101.9 kmph (63.3mph), according to the data gleaned from the sensor inside the match ball.

James’ record at international level is impressive, proving she is a player for the big occasion. The 23-year-old has been directly involved in more goals than any other European player across the last two major tournaments, with five goals and three assists.

In her last 13 starts for England across all competitions, James has weighed in with 15 goal involvements (seven goals and eight assists).

With her technique and quality, it is hardly surprising that James isn't afraid to get her strikes away. Her five shots attempted against the Netherlands on Wednesday (as indicated by the visualisation above) is the joint-highest total for any England player at the tournament so far, and it feels like there could be even more to come from our talented forward at Euro 2025.

England’s Number One

Hampton already has a Euros winner's medal after being in the England squad back in 2022 and was part of the group that reached the World Cup final a year later. However, this summer's tournament is her first as the Lionesses' number one and last night she showed why she now has the jersey.

Not only is the Blues stopper a safe pair of hands but her distribution adds an extra element to England's attacking game. Her impressive skillset has already proved to be a valuable weapon.

Hampton made 25 accurate passes from both inside and outside her penalty area during the match (see below), picking out players all over the pitch, as the graphic below shows.

Only Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, and Leah Williamson played more line-breaking passes in the first half of action than the goalkeeper's three.

And never was her quality on the ball more evident than England’s first goal, as her low driven pass split open the Netherlands defence and picked out the run of Russo, before James delivered the top-quality finish.

This was direct play at its finest, three simple touches leading to the goal that set England on their way to that statement win.

Walsh class on and off the ball

Chelsea’s Keira Walsh is famous for her elegant passing game, and she has displayed that quality on many occasions for England, too. Part of the core starting XI that won the European Championship in 2022, Walsh has amassed 89 senior caps for England since her debut in November 2017.

Yet there is another facet to her game that often goes unnoticed, as Walsh plays a vital role in winning the ball back from the opponent in midfield areas. This was crucial for England in terms of preventing the Netherlands from building momentum.

During her 90 minutes on the pitch, Walsh won the ball back on nine occasions, more than any other England player in the game - something which is shown in the graphic above.

While this work goes under the radar for some, it’s a vital part of any successful team. Add in Walsh's vision and technical ability on the ball and it is clear why she is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world.

Bronze continues to be key

Currently in her seventh major tournament for England, Lucy Bronze has the kind of experience and calm head the Lionesses need.

The Chelsea defender has long been one of the most influential players in the England dressing room and when the likes of Jill Scott and Ellen White retired after Euro 2022, Bronze's importance as one of the experienced older heads increased.

And with Mary Earps and Fran Kirby both retiring before this tournament, and Millie Bright missing out too, Bronze's experience will be as important as ever.

‘This is not a strange scenario for England,’ she told the BBC after the loss to France. ‘Ten years ago, we lost to France at the beginning of our World Cup campaign. We then went on to make history and got the furthest we’d ever been.’

The message was very much ‘don’t panic.’ The result and the performance in England’s second game showed that she was correct.

Yet it’s not just talk from the experienced right-back. She continues to deliver on the pitch too.

Bronze completed 45 of her 51 passes during the game, also finding a team-mate with 86.4% of her passing attempts in the final third of the pitch.

Her heat map above show how she consistently covers the entire flank, influencing the game in both the attacking and defensive phases.

Her consistent and high-quality performances are exactly the kind of reliability this young England side needs, as they undoubtedly face more tough challenges at Euro 2025.

Next up for the Lionesses are neighbours Wales, where they know victory will guarantee qualification to the knockout rounds.

You can find out when our players are next in action at the tournament by checking our guide to when Chelsea players are involved at Euro 2025.