Manchester United’s Under-18s concluded a positive season with home victory over Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime.
The young Reds had trailed early on when Felix Scott netted for the visiting Black Cats from Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi’s pull-back.
Adam Lawrence’s side quickly established dominance, though, and made the most of set pieces to turn the scoreline around. Two excellent deliveries from Jim Thwaites — the first a corner, second a free-kick — were glanced home by Amir Ibragimov and Albert Mills before half-time.
With a notably youthful bench, United retained energy on a hot Carrington day, and found an extra goal even after an injury to Dante Plunkett forced the Reds to play with 10. Victor Musa’s injury-time goal means we finish the campaign with a fantastic record of 20 wins from 24 games.
Sunderland made the most of a fast start, with the smell of sun cream hardly yet settled at a bright Carrington before they led.
Bayley Hester tested Cameron Byrne-Hughes with a left-footed shot within the opening minute and shortly after, Samuel-Ogunsuyi showed good decision-making when drifting out to the area’s left side, waiting for the late arrival of number 10 Felix Scott. His second-touch finish took the slightest of deflections to beat Byrne-Hughes and find the bottom left corner.
From then, United were dominant, with Lacey’s driving run from deep sparking an overwhelmingly positive rest of the half. He shot wide, then watched a free-kick deflected for a corner before later crossing for Victor Musa, whose header was saved.
Sunderland ‘keeper Ben Metcalf then came out quickly to smother the ball when Sam Lusale was one-on-one. After a drinks break due to a warm weather, United stepped it up further.
Zach Baumann dribbled inside with purpose to tee Lacey up for another effort, which deflected wide. From the resulting right-sided corner, Ibragimov rose well to head home an inch-perfect Thwaites in-swinging delivery.
Five minutes later, Thwaites repeated the trick, this time an out-swinging free-kick from the left wing, with Mills the goalscorer.
In a fast-paced spell, United could have extended the lead further at speed. Thwaites struck the post with an edge-of-the-box curler, Lusale was denied well by Metcalf and then Lacey. Just before the break, Byrne-Hughes was forced into a save of his own to remind United of the Black Cats’ threat on the counter.
United’s free-flowing play stuttered slightly after the break, with Sunderland more compact, but the visitors offered little at the other end. Jack Whittaker’s long-range strike was saved comfortably by Byrne-Hughes, as United introduced several youngsters. U16s Eddie Ibrovic-Fletcher and Jayden Ngwashi came on, as well as U14 JJ Gabriel.
The task grew significantly harder with an injury to Plunkett after all outfield subs had been brought on. United admirably played with 10 for the remaining 15 minutes, limiting the visitors to half-chances.
Sunderland sub Tom Proctor had one deflected wide to force a corner, but as the pressure built, United countered. Musa finished off in added time to secure victory.
MATCH DETAILS
United: Byrne-Hughes; Overy, Mills, Armer (Ngwashi 62), Plunkett; Baumann, Ibragimov (Bailey 62), Thwaites; Lacey (Gabriel 62), Musa (c), Lusale (Ibrovic-Fletcher 71).
Unused subs: Heath.
Goals: Ibragimov 35, Mills 41, Musa 90+1 | Scott 2.