Jodie Taylor fires hat-trick as England hit Scotland for six

Jodie Taylor grabbed a hat-trick as England's women got their Euro 2017 campaign off to a flyer with a convincing 6-0 victory over rivals Scotland in a one-sided Group D opener in Utrecht.

Mark Sampson's side overcame a bright start from Anna Signeul's underdogs to storm into a three-goal lead at the break courtesy of two clinical efforts from Arsenal's Taylor and a smart finish on the rebound from Birmingham's Ellen White.

Taylor then added a fourth to make history as the first Lioness to net a treble at a major tournament, before Jordan Nobbs and Toni Duggan rubbed salt in Scotland's wounds.

It was a performance dripping with the spirit and togetherness that saw England finish third at the 2015 World Cup, but also showcased a quality and maturity that fully justifies their billing as the third favourites for this tournament.

England will now turn their attention to a top of the table clash with Spain on Sunday while Scotland must brush off the nightmare of their first match at a major tournament and aim to bounce back against Portugal.

England live up to their billing. The Lionesses brushed aside the pre-match focus on the rivalry and ensured the gulf in class between the sides was reflected in the scoreline. Greater challenges await Mark Sampson's side if they are to achieve his hopes of 'completing three weeks of hard work to live 50 years as legends.' This was a superb start, packed full of firsts that bode well for what lies ahead. With quality backed up by a strong bond within the camp, there's no doubt England have all the ingredients to go deep in the tournament and this will have sent out a real message to the other major contenders for the trophy.

Jodie Taylor (England). Led the line well and showed an ice-cool mentality with her finishing. The Gunners ace has now netted 12 goals in 26 appearances for her country and could be a real star of these Euros on this evidence.

ENGLAND WOMEN: Bardsley 7, Bronze 7, Houghton 7, Bright 7, Stokes 7, Moore 7, Scott 8, Nobbs 8, Kirby 8, White 8, Taylor 9. Subs: Duggan 7, Parris 6, Carney 5.

SCOTLAND WOMEN: Fay 7, Fra Brown 6, Dieke 6, Barsley 6, Arthur 6, Corsie 6, Evans 6, Crichton 6, Weir 6, Fi Brown 6, Ross 7. Subs: Clelland 7, Cuthbert 6, Love 5.

1' - SCOTLAND CHANCE. Jane Ross immediately spins into space and fires in a dipping 35-yarder that is awkward for Karen Bardsley, who is forced to tip it over.

10'- GOAL! England women 1-0 Scotland women. Arsenal forward Jodie Taylor races clear and coolly slots Bronze's pass beyond Fay after a lovely dummy from Fran Kirby opened up the Scotland defence.

26'- GOAL! England women 2-0 Scotland women. The free kick from Nobbs causes mayhem in the Scotland box and Taylor reacts smartly at the back post to blast a rising shot into the net.

32'- GOAL! England women 3-0 Scotland women. It's three! White arrives on cue to slide in the rebound after Scott's 30 yard strike had crashed back off the bar.

53'- GOAL! England women 4-0 Scotland women. Hat-trick! Taylor becomes the first player in history to score a treble for England at a major tournament. White flicks on and the Arsenal forward charges through before lobbing Fay with aplomb.

66' - SCOTLAND CHANCE. A real opening for Scotland goes begging. Clelland races free of Bright in the right channel and surges into the box. She's got a narrow angle and a runner in the middle, but opts to fizz a shot wide of the near post instead.

87' - GOAL! England women 5-0 Scotland women. It's five-star England! Nobbs volleys home from 15 yards after a cross from the left was cleared into her path.90+3' - GOAL! England women 6-0 Scotland women. Duggan nods in Houghton's header from a right-wing corner to add further gloss to the victory right at the death.

England won an opening game at a major tournament for the first time since 2005.

Taylor scored the first hat-trick at the Euros since 1997.

England have now won 22 of the 25 meetings with Scotland.

England won a EURO finals game by more than one goal for the very first time. It was also their biggest margin of victory at a major tournament.