England 1-0 Denmark: 3 things we learnt from Lionesses win - including Lauren James, Keira Walsh injury

An improved performance and victory ensured Sarina Wiegman's side progressed to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2023 - but the win came at a cost after a serious looking injury to Keira Walsh.

It took England just six minutes to open the scoring as the outstanding Lauren James fired in a breathtaking opener to hand her side the early lead they craved in Australia.

The Lionesses were in total control for the following half an hour until Barcelona midfielder Walsh appeared to overstretch her knee and was stretched off to change the mood around the stadium from delirious to deathly quiet.

Wiegman's side saw her sides performance match the feeling in the stands following this but did enough to hold onto a 1-0 win despite the Dane's hitting the post late on.

Here are three things we learnt from England's victory over Denmark:

Rachel Daly is England's most reliable left back - and that's a concern

In last week's 'three things we learnt', we discussed whether the Aston Villa striker should be included in the starting line up today in place of Alessia Russo. She was included, but in that bizarre left back role she has occupied for England over the last three years. Let's be clear, Daly can play at left back but is far more of a weapon when used as a number 9 - her goal scoring record last year proves it.

Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Jess Carter and Esme Morgan can also fill in at left back but it appears Wiegman trusts Daly more than any of them in that position to the point she will sacrifice her as a forward option to play her there - and it is hard to argue after her performance today.

There's a temptation to argue against Daly playing at left back but she played well against Denmark and with Greenwood required in the centre of defence in the absence of Leah Williamson, the Villa striker is oddly the best option at left back.

Lauren James can be England's match winner and she must start every game for England

Ian Wright took to Twitter last week to claim the Chelsea star simply has to start for the Lionesses and it only took her six minutes to vindicate the Arsenal legend. James was the bright spark for England and the reason to remain hopeful.

James is England's x-factor and was the best player on the park by a country mile this morning, causing wave after wave of problems for the Danes. The Lionesses are blessed with attacking talent but the question now shouldn't be whether you play the 21-year-old but more where you play her.

What is England's plan B without Keira Walsh?

While we still do not know the severity of the former Manchester City's player injury, it is safe to say her tournament appears to be over. She's vital to how England perform and now they will be forced to find a way to play without her.

Euro 2022 hero and ITV pundit Ellen White worryingly admitted that there "was no plan B" at last summer's tournament should Walsh be injured and, in truth, it is hard to see how you replace a player of her quality.

Wiegman opted to drop Georgia Stanway deeper and bring onto Laura Coombs in the advanced role against Denmark while Katie Zelem is another option in the holding role. However, neither possess the same quality or experience as Walsh and its tough to see how they remedy it.