Sarina Wiegman pleased to see England picking up momentum in Belgium rout | OneFootball

Sarina Wiegman praised her England team after they "kept it simple" in a 5-0 rout of Nations League opponents Belgium at Ashton Gate.

First-half goals from Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright underlined England's control of the contest, and it could have been more but Alessia Russo twice hit the post.

Substitute Aggie Beever-Jones scored her maiden Lionesses goal after 67 minutes, with no let-up from England in all areas of the pitch, before Jess Park and Keira Walsh - for a first time in 83 international appearances - also found the target.

Belgium had little answer to England's movement and passing accuracy as the hosts made it seven points from a possible nine in Group A3 ahead of Tuesday's return fixture in Leuven.

"The things we wanted to do for most of the game we did," England boss Wiegman said.

"The subs came on and brought new energy. We got the dynamics in possession and we kept it simple and together. It looks very simple - but it's not easy to do."

Asked if she felt England were building momentum towards the Euros this summer after impressive victories against Spain and Belgium, Wiegman added: "Of course, winning helps.

"We are developing. We are getting closer to how we want to play against different opponents. It is really good to have that in front of us and see what options we have in this moment.

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England eased past Belgium to maintain their unbeaten Nations League campaign (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

"We know a lot can change quickly, but I am just very happy with the win and how we showed up. It was nice with the fans, too, and how they showed up."

A crowd of just over 23,000 brought a carnival atmosphere, but there were few smiles wider than Wiegman's when Walsh struck two minutes from time.

"I was very happy for her because we want her to shoot more," Wiegman said. "She has a very good shot, and we want her to get higher up the pitch, which she did today."

The Lionesses monopolised early possession, with Bronze heavily involved in their best moments, but three corners in quick succession all came to nothing.

Bronze, Mead and Russo then linked impressively to cut open Belgium's defence, before a Lauren James free-kick scraped the top of the crossbar after Justine Vanhaevermaet was booked for a foul.

England mounted relentless pressure, and after Russo hit the near post, Bronze gave the Lionesses a 21st-minute lead when her deflected header eluded the grasp of Belgium goalkeeper Nicky Evrard.

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Bronze opened the scoring on her 130rd appearance (Getty Images)

The chances continued to flow as Belgium struggled to live with the pace and intensity of Wiegman's team and they pushed hard for a second goal before half time.

Another sweeping move ended with livewire Russo hitting the woodwork for a second time, then Mead had a shot brilliantly saved at point-blank range by Evrard.

The Belgium goal was living a charmed life, but it could not last and one more England attack brought the desired result when Bright forced the ball home.

It was the final act of a first half which England dominated, with Russo, Bronze and Mead all producing outstanding performances.

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Beever-Jones scored her first England goal and their third of the night (Getty Images)

Wiegman made an interval substitution, sending on Beever-Jones for James, and England were soon back on the attack, peppering Belgium's goal at regular intervals.

Beever-Jones then claimed England's third goal when she finished emphatically following impressive approach work by Mead and Walsh, and Belgium were once again firmly on the back foot.

Walsh hit the left post - the third time for England to be denied - but Park added a fourth goal after she capitalised on defensive hesitancy and comfortably slid the ball past Evrard to complete Belgium's misery, before Walsh scored number five.