Four-word Lauren James verdict says it all as Chelsea star helps seal crucial England win

The four-word verdict posted on Chelsea's official Twitter account said it all.

"Lauren James is her," was the assertion, written alongside a picture of the Blues' mercurial forward in action for England against the Republic of Ireland. James bagged her seventh senior international goal on Tuesday night, helping the Lionesses record the first win of their European Championship qualifying campaign ahead of next summer's tournament finals in Switzerland.

In what was England's first meeting with the Girls in Green since March 1987, it was James' flair and ingenuity that proved the difference between the two sides at Dublin's Aviva Stadium. And, while it was perhaps not the Lionesses' most electrifying display, it was a performance that yielded three important points that may well prove decisive as Sarina Wiegman's side seek to finish in the top two of their ominously-anointed 'Group of Death'.

In her pre-match press conference on Monday, the England boss had refused to be drawn on whether this was a must-win for her side. But after last Friday's lacklustre showing against Sweden seemed to offer more questions than answers for the European Champions, there was a sense that only a victory would assuage growing doubts that Wiegman's team is not the formidable force it was two years ago.

Perhaps the Dutchwoman sensed this too, as she made five changes to the team that was held to a 1-1 draw at Wembley last time out, with captain Leah Williamson - making her first appearance for the Lionesses in 364 days following her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) - amongst the players to come into the side.

It was James, though, who - as she did against Sweden - set the tone for the visitors, almost teeing up Alessia Russo for the second time in four days inside the opening five minutes. And the Chelsea forward got England off the mark with less than a quarter-of-an-hour on the clock, sweeping past Everton's Courtney Brosnan after Lucy Bronze's knock-down deflected off Anna Patten and into her path.

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It was the nerve-settler the Lionesses needed and it wasn't long before Wiegman's side had doubled their advantage through Alex Greenwood, who coolly dispatched her penalty after Ruesha Littlejohn was penalised for handball inside the area.

The Manchester City centre-back got another chance to take aim from 12-yards out less than 15 minutes later, when Louise Quinn was also - rather harshly - adjudged to have handled the ball in the box. This time, though, Greenwood couldn't convert her spot-kick, with the ball instead rattling the post before bobbling beyond the byline.

It was a rare disappointment in an otherwise excellent first-half for England, who seemed to have rediscovered some of the style and swagger that saw them beat behemoths Germany to the European Championship title back in the summer of 2022. And it could have been three for the Lionesses early in the second half, with substitute Fran Kirby's first-time shot saved brilliantly by Brosnan after James' sumptuous ball was nodded across the face of goal.

Ireland rallied well, though, and could have halved the deficit when Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, given the nod ahead of England's longstanding No. 1 Mary Earps, saw her loose pass seized upon by Liverpool forward Leanne Kiernan, before the danger was quickly snuffed out by Jess Carter.

And the hosts' best chance of the night came 13 minutes from time, when captain and Arsenal defender Katie McCabe's clever free-kick was flashed across the face of goal but nobody in a green shirt was able to apply the finishing touch.

Eileen Gleeson's side waited until the 84th minute to record their first shot on target, with Caitlin Hayes' header from a corner parried to safety by Hampton. And their second-half onslaught proved to be too little too late as England held on to record what is quite possibly their most important win since their semi-final triumph over Australia at the Women's World Cup last summer.

"I think we totally dominated the first half," Wiegman told ITV Sport after the game. "I think we could have been up at least 4-0. Of course, later on in the game they want to force a goal. It became a fight and we actually wanted to stay out of a fight. We won 2-0 which is the most important thing."

The England boss is right; at this moment in time, results are all that matter as the Lionesses bid to get their defence of their European crown off to the best possible start by qualifying automatically for next summer's tournament. But, while Wiegman may continue to tinker with her squad in the months ahead, the last two games have once again proved James is the undroppable key to England's success.