Jack Stephens scored a stoppage-time winner as England Under-21s continued their preparations for the 2017 European Championship with a dramatic 3-2 win against Italy at St Mary's.
The result extended the Young Lions' undefeated run to 15 fixtures, and came in the first of three scheduled friendlies before next summer's tournament in Poland.
Interim head coach Aidy Boothroyd made six changes from his most recent line-up - surprisingly resting striker Tammy Abraham but perhaps wisely experimenting given Jordan Pickford's recent call-up to the senior squad - and was rewarded as they came from behind to secure another victory.
A clinical Italian performance ensured a 3-1 defeat and England's elimination from the 2015 competition in the Czech Republic.
But Gareth Southgate has inspired progress since then - victory at this summer's Toulon tournament and an undefeated qualifying campaign concluded by Boothroyd while Southgate coaches the senior team - and it often showed.
England, marking Armistice Day with poppies on black armbands, went ahead through Leicester's Demarai Gray.
Goals from Andrea Conti and Federico Di Francesco turned the game in Italy's favour, before Lewis Baker equalised and Stephens secured victory in time added on.
It was amid a promising start and some disorganised Italian defending that Boothroyd's team went in front i n the sixth minute .
Reading's John Swift continued Nathan Redmond's build-up play on the right wing, sending a low ball across the penalty area and from there Luca Mazzitelli's attempted clearance deflected off Antonio Barreca and into Gray's path and he finished neatly.
The Azzurri, also wearing black armbands, were level shortly afterwards, albeit with some good fortune.
From an unremarkable attack down the right, Conti's attempted cross took a significant deflection off the falling Brendan Galloway and looped over goalkeeper Angus Gunn and into the far-left corner of the net.
England looked good in possession, but the way Italy then took the lead felt familiar.
A 28th-minute corner was headed on by Andrea Petagna after bypassing Calum Chambers and tapped in with ease at the back post by the unmarked Di Francesco.
Boothroyd was forced into a substitution just two minutes later when the injured Swift could not continue, and his replacement Will Hughes contributed to a second-half recovery.
Hughes had already struck a post and Gray the crossbar when he played a neat one-two with Baker on the edge of the area and the latter took a touch before curling the ball into the bottom-left corner.
The Young Lions continued to pressure the visitors without abandoning the passing game Southgate has encouraged.
And in the third minute of stoppage time, when Italy failed to clear captain James Ward-Prowse's corner after Chambers' header was saved, Stephens struck a close-range winner, strengthening Boothroyd's chances of succeeding Southgate on a permanent basis.
Source: PA
