The Reds had dominated the FA Youth Cup since its inception; winning the first four competitions. With a talented young West Ham in the way, however, trophy number five looked far from nailed-on...

The Background: A 3-2 first leg win in East London secured by goals from Alex Dawson, Nobby Lawton and Reg Hunter, gave United a slight, but important advantage going into the second leg. A crowd of 23,349 flocked to Old Trafford to witness the potential coronation of Jimmy Murphy's latest batch of gifted youngsters.

The Occasion: Unchanged from the first leg, a rampant United side tore the Hammers apart, romping to a 5-0 victory on the night, and an 8-2 aggregate triumph. Striker Mark Pearson stole the show, bagging an eye-catching hat-trick, while Dawson and Hunter, each with their second of the tie, added further gloss to the scoreline.

The Aftermath: Following the Munich air disaster, many of United's youngsters were drafted into senior duty, severely weakening the 1957/58 Youth Cup campaign. Nevertheless, the Reds reached the semi-finals before losing out to Wolves, 4-3 on aggregate. The midlanders eventually won the competition, overcoming Chelsea 7-6 on aggregate after a 5-1 first-leg drubbing. United's sixth triumph in the competition eventually came in the 1963/64 campaign.