A second-string England side warmed up for next week's Euro 2024 qualifier with Italy by scraping past Australia 1-0 in an international friendly at Wembley.
Gareth Southgate's experimental XI left a lot to be desired during a lacklustre display and were stunted by the Socceroos' admirable defensive discipline, but the returning Ollie Watkins poked home early in the second half to ensure victory for the Three Lions.
Southgate promised to hand opportunities to some of his lesser-known players and kept to his word, handing Levi Colwill his debut alongside recalls for Watkins, Jarrod Bowen, James Maddison, Fikayo Tomori, Sam Johnstone and Jack Grealish.
However, the Three Lions head coach's decision to field an unfamiliar XI did not pay dividends in a forgettable first half, where a well-drilled Australia side comfortably kept their disjointed hosts at bay while handing Johnstone a few scares down the other end.
The Crystal Palace stopper had to be alert to tip Keanu Baccus's deflected delivery round the post in the 12th minute, and the Socceroos were proving a distinct threat from set pieces, where 6ft 6in Leicester City man Harry Souttar used his physical prowess to his advantage.
With 22 minutes gone, Martin Boyle sent in a tempting cross to Mitchell Duke, who got across Tomori and connected with a sweetly-struck volley which flew just wide of the post in another let-off for the Three Lions.
A bandaged Kye Rowles then poked over the top as England failed to clear their lines in the 28th minute, only one moment before Maddison belatedly found the inch-perfect pass to slip through Watkins, who skipped past Mathew Ryan but could only direct a weak effort onto the far post from a tight angle.
A first half bereft of excitement almost ended with a bang in the 44th minute, as England were caught cold from a long ball over the top and left Ryan Strain in acres of space inside the box, but a terrific sliding block from Lewis Dunk prevented the right-back from breaking the deadlock.
Southgate's men came out for the second half with a bit more purpose in attack, and while Souttar easily dealt with a 57th-minute Maddison free kick, Trent Alexander-Arnold's ball back into the danger area caused carnage.
The Liverpool man's floated delivery fell at the feet of Grealish, who hammered the ball back across the six-yard box, and the arriving Watkins connected on the stretch for his third England goal.
Facing few threats to their lead while also looking unlikely to add a second, England rang the changes as the second half entered its final knockings, including a first-ever senior Three Lions appearance for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.
However, England continued to be outfought on set-pieces, and Connor Metcalfe rose highest to meet Boyle's corner in the 80th minute, but the 23-year-old's bullet header struck the outside of the post - the flag spared the hosts' blushes, though.
Graham Arnold's side pressed relentlessly for the leveller as the clock wound down, but England clung on to make it back-to-back wins ahead of Tuesday's visit of the European champions, while Australia will pit their wits against New Zealand in four days' time. body check tags ::
