SAINTS left it late but a James Bree wonder-strike secured a Carabao Cup quarter-final with a dramatic 3-2 win over Championship Stoke City.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis put Saints ahead after 19 minutes with his third goal of the season, giving him distance as the club's second top-scorer.

Last season's top scorer Adam Armstrong doubled the lead with his first of the campaign but Stoke scored either side of the break to turn it around.

Ashley Phillips finished cheekily with his heel while Tom Cannon did well to thump in a cross from a tight angle in the 55th minute to leave the hosts embarrassed. 

However, hero Bree stepped up to repeat his Cardiff City dramatics with a long-range scorcher in the 88th minute and booked Saints a quarter-final berth.

Russell Martin vowed to name a strong side to reach the last eight of the cup and settled on six changes to his team that started the 1-0 defeat at Manchester City.

The boss was sat at the top of an empty Kingsland stand for the match, having picked up a one-match touchline ban for his third yellow card of the season.

The biggest surprise was Ryan Fraser coming straight back in after serving his suspension for his red card in the loss against Leicester City.

Aaron Ramsdale was among those retained, while Stoke City made eight changes themselves amid a potential relegation fight in the Championship.

Summer signing Tatsuki Seko, who arrived from the Japanese league, made his first start for Narcis Pelach's struggling Potters.

Stoke goalkeeper Jack Bonham passed the first test set by Joe Aribo, parrying the Nigerian's powerful shot from the edge of the area to safety.

He could do nothing about the Harwood-Bellis header that put Saints ahead through a corner - the defender running from deep to evade his man.

Harwood-Bellis cupped his ear to the travelling fans, who routinely boo him following his 2022 stint at the Potters, and thanked Mateus Fernandes for the stellar cross.

Fraser had two chances inside the box but his touch let him down on both occasions before he was withdrawn with a knock after 36 minutes.

Saints had scored the second moments before he came off - Armstrong dispatching a confident penalty after a soft Jaden Dixon foul on Yukinari Sugawara.

Stoke pulled one back before the break with their first attack, as Phillips backheeled from close range to capitalise on a messy Sugawara touch from a deep free-kick.

They levelled 10 minutes into the second half after Lesleu Ugochukwu had conceded possession in midfield and Cannon finished Junior Tchamadeu's deflected cross.

It was only Stoke's second shot on target of the night - they had had 21 per cent possession - but it meant Saints had blown two-goal leads in successive home matches.

Tensions rose after a scuffle involving Ugochukwu, Armstrong and Tchamadeu, before Martin called Paul Onuachu and Ben Brereton Diaz from the bench. 

Stoke were incensed when they felt Million Manhoef was denied a penalty for a Sugawara foul inside the box and the Japanese thwarted the substitute again in the closing stages, desperately clearing off the line after Manhoef had somehow bundled past Ramsdale.

Bree made the visitors pay and followed up his long-range spectacular against Cardiff in the second round with an equally impressive 88th-minute winner.

The home fans sang "Who are ya" to the Stoke supporters after Bree's low bouncer but it was a damning indictment of where Saints are that it was required. 

Saints: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek (Kamaldeen, 80), Bree; Ugochukwu, Aribo, Fernandes (Brereton Diaz, 66); Armstrong (Amo-Ameyaw, 80), Fraser (Cornet, 36), Archer (Onuachu, 66).

Unused subs: McCarthy, Stephens, Wood, Taylor.

Booked: Armstrong, Cornet.

Stoke City: Bonham; Tchamadeu, Dixon, Rose, Phillips, Bocat (Burger, 84), Thompson, Seko, Sidibe (Moran, 71), Vidigal (Manhoef, 71), Cannon (Koumas, 60). 

Unused subs: Fielding, Ennis, Tezgel, Anderson, Gianni.

Booked: Tchamadeu. 

Referee: Lewis Smith.