Under-18s: Man City v United

It was a challenging afternoon in blustery conditions in east Manchester for Adam Lawrence’s side, who lost 4-1 against the nearest challengers at the top of the table.

The experience will be a learning curve for our young Reds, ahead of facing City again in the U18 Premier League Cup final.

Ethan Williams had the first sighting of goal in the fifth minute when his curling effort from the edge of the box was deflected behind. From the resulting corner, Victor Musa got his chest to it from close range but couldn’t steer the ball past City goalkeeper Spike Brits.

The hosts took the lead in the 19th minute when Luca Fletcher worked space inside the box to deliver a low cross to the back post for Farid Alfa-Ruprecht to tap into an empty net from a yard out.

United keeper Thomas Myles kept out Justin Oboavwoduo’s snapshot inside the box and tipped Jacob Wright’s angled drive wide. At the other end, Williams threatened with a low effort from 20 yards which tested the City keeper after Jaydan Kamason carried the ball down the right flank.

City doubled their lead four minutes after the break as Ashton Muir slotted home from inside the box from Oboavwoduo’s square pass.

Myles made a double save to thwart Muir twice in quick succession, advancing from his line to smother both attempts. But he could not prevent Alfa-Ruprecht adding to City’s advantage in the 66th minute, as he placed the ball into the bottom corner after latching on to Wright’s ball forward.

It got worse for United 10 minutes later when the unfortunate Kamason got the final touch to City substitute Divine Mukasa’s corner and the ball trickled past Myles, who later parried a Mukasa header behind for a corner.

United had to work hard to get hold of the ball and create any openings against a well-drilled City side. Jacob Devaney picked out the run of captain Finley McAllister but he could only guide his shot straight at Brits.

Williams, who had been denied by the City keeper minutes earlier, fired home a left-footed drive from just outside the box three minutes from time to at least get United on the scoresheet.

The young Reds will take learnings from a frustrating afternoon at the Joie Stadium, ahead of our next outing against Blackburn Rovers in a week’s time at Carrington.

MATCH DETAILS

United: Myles, Kamason, Jackson, Nolan, Mantato, McAllister (c), Devaney, Musa (Thwaites 61), Scanlon, Williams, Biancheri.

Substitutes not used: Harrison, Armer, Trialist, Abraha.

Goals: Alfa-Ruprecht 19, 66, Muir 49, Kamason 76 og | Williams 87

Booked: Nolan, McAllister