Owen and England celebrate their opening goal

By Damian Spellman, PA Sport

England booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals inside 22 minutes of their last 16 clash with Denmark in what proved to be something of a stroll.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's men cruelly exposed the inadequacies of the Danes to give themselves a lead they never looked like relinquishing, eventually running out comfortable winners.

STARS

England full-backs Danny Mills and Ashley Cole went into the game knowing that they would have to be at their best if they were to handle the threat posed by Danish wide men Jesper Gronkjaer and Dennis Rommedahl.

In the event, it was the men in white who triumphed as they drew the sting of Denmark's most dangerous providers, and but for a needless second-half booking for Mills, both men can be proud of their contribution.

Michael Owen was sharp throughout his 45 minutes and got his reward with his side's second goal, but there was relief too for partner Emile Heskey who thumped home the third to lift some of the pressure on his shoulders.

GOALKEEPERS

David Seaman will be happy if he enjoys such a quiet 90 minutes against either Brazil or Belgium after being forced to make just three genuine saves.

By contrast, opposite number Thomas Sorensen was at fault for the opening goal and will be unhappy with the third, although he did redeem himself with good stops from Heskey and David Beckham.

DEFENCE

Cole and Mills each had a chance to lock horns with both Rommedahl and Gronkjaer as they switched wings after the break but rarely gave either a sniff with a little help from Beckham and Trevor Sinclair. As a result, Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand saw little of Jon Dahl Tomasson and Ebbe Sand.

Denmark's back four was dealt a double blow with just five minutes gone when Sorensen bundled Ferdinand's header over his own goal line and Thomas Helveg picked up a nasty injury as he tried to defend the corner. The pace of Owen and Heskey terrified central pairing Rene Henriksen and Martin Laursen, who thrived in the space they left.

MIDFIELD

Once again, the tireless Nicky Butt and Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes had the upper hand in the middle of the park, prepared to allow the Danes possession but not in the crucial last third. Both men used the ball well to feed their strikers, while Beckham and Sinclair worked as hard going forward as they did in retreat to hold England's solid shape despite an improvement from the Danes.

Thomas Gravesen was the pick of the Danish quartet, driving forward at regular intervals ahead of Stig Tofting and creating a superb opening for Sand. Neither Rommedahl nor Gronkjaer enjoyed the freedom they need to thrive, but Charlton's Claus Jensen did well after replacing Tofting, forcing a fine fingertip save from Seaman seven minutes from time.

ATTACK

Owen's form going into this game suggested that he was ready to produce something special, and he turned in a 45-minute display which demonstrated his pace, eye for goal and finishing prowess. However, a collective sigh of relief went up in Niigata and at home when Heskey, who has never shirked his responsibilities despite recent criticism, was rewarded with his goal.

Much of the pre-match speculation centred around how England would handle dangermen Tomasson and Sand, but the answer was delivered emphatically. Sand should have dragged his side back into it at 2-0 when he shot wide after being played in by Gravesen, and Tomasson flashed a header over from Kasper Bogelund's driven cross, but other than that, they were largely anonymous.