Manchester United u18s took on Middlesbrough away on Saturday morning in their second group stage match of the Premier League Cup.
United opened the cup with a convincing 4-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in August.
First half
There was little in the way of excitement for the majority of the first half with neither side able to create clear-cut chances.
United had to settle for half chances, with Samuel Lusale coming close to forcing a mistake from the Middlesbrough keeper, who hesitated under the United winger’s pressure.
It wasn’t until the 43rd minute though that United made the breakthrough.
JJ Gabriel was first to a loose 50-50 ball and headed it to Lusale, who struck first time on the volley past the keeper to make it 0-1 at the break.
Second half
Nathaniel Junior Brown looked to add another goal to his tally for the season after netting for the u17s in their midweek Premier League Cup fixture, but he pulled his shot just wide.
The home side then enjoyed a spell on top, forcing a couple of saves from Fred Heath including a big one that denied Cruz Ibel.
It was a back and forth battle in the stormy conditions, with James Bailey leading the fight for United by fully committing to every tackle.
Lusale added his second of the match in the 77th minute after Douka Nkoto won possession and slipped through the Slovakian to run in behind and calmly finish past the keeper.
Middlesbrough came close to scoring an Olimpico with the aid of the wind but Heath was able to keep his goal closed for the day.
Late chances came for Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher and Lusale but neither could find the final finish as the score ended 0-2.
The victory puts United top of the group after two matches, with a final group stage match to come against Birmingham City.
Match facts
United: Heath, Helafu (Ngwashi 80), McCormack, Mills, J. Watson, McEvoy (D. Nkoto 73), Thwaites (c), Bailey, Brown (Ibrovic-Fletcher 80), Gabriel (Shah 73), Lusale
Unused subs: Z. Watson
Scorer: Lusale 43,77
Featured image James Fearn via Getty Images
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Colm Murphy
A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years.
