In front of a boisterous home crowd, England took the lead in the 16^th minute thanks to Beth Mead, who controlled a pass from Fran Kirby before chipping over Austrian keeper Manuela Zinsberger.

Carina Wenninger attempted to clear the ball away but it was already over the line, with the goal confirmed by the first-ever Women’s Euro video assistant referee check.

Zinsberger denied Lauren Hemp just before the break as England threatened a second, and although the Lionesses dominated play they could not find a second goal.

Austria’s best chance came with 12 minutes remaining with a shot from Barbara Dunst tipped away by England keeper Mary Earps.

The crowd at Old Trafford, which was comfortably bigger than the previous tournament attendance record of 41,301, for the 2013 final in Solna, Sweden, saw England extend their unbeaten run under coach Sarina Wiegman to 15 matches.

Wiegman coached current holders The Netherlands when they won the previous edition of the tournament in 2017.

The UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 had been due to be played in 2021 but was rescheduled after the coronavirus pandemic forced the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Euro 2020 to be delayed by a year.

The second game in Group A is scheduled to take place tomorrow, with Norway facing Northern Ireland in Southampton.