England moved back to the top of their World Cup qualifying group with a comfortable win over Russia in Moscow.

Manchester City forward Nikita Parris put the visitors in front with a header from Toni Duggan's cross.

Two goals from Parris' club-mate Jill Scott - either side of one from the hosts' Elena Danilova - gave England a commanding lead before half-time.

Victory was the Lionesses' third in six games since Phil Neville's appointment as head coach in January.

The win, which puts England two points clear of Wales with two games left, came without injured captain Steph Houghton and the influential Izzy Christiansen and Jordan Nobbs.

England, for whom Arsenal defender Leah Williams made her debut in the second half, had slipped to second when Wales beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 on Thursday.

They face Wales in their next group match in August, before concluding their qualifying campaign against Kazakhstan the following month.

Win shows strength in depth

Since Neville's appointment, England have risen to second in the Fifa rankings - their highest ever position.

But, speaking before this match, the former Manchester United defender said that "doesn't mean much" if they don't win silverware.

The Lionesses have never won the World Cup - and that is Neville's aim in France next year.

First they must secure qualification, and this largely assured display against a team they thrashed 6-0 at Prenton Park in September moved them another step closer.

A major plus was the evidence of their strength in depth and adaptability.

Scott has missed their past two games with injury, not featuring since the 5-0 win over Kazakhstan in November, but had a compelling impact on her return.

Clever movement was behind both the 31-year-old's goals, a header and side-footed finish.

The visitors looked comfortable on a potentially tricky artificial surface, having trained on the 3G pitch at St George's Park to prepare.

The fluidity of their forward players - with Duggan, Fran Kirby and Parris rotating behind striker Ellen White - caused the hosts constant problems.

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