Manchester United u18s visited the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground on Saturday morning to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Darren Fletcher looked to continue his perfect start to the season, coming into the match with five wins from five in all competitions and having yet to concede a goal.
First half
United came hot out of the gates with JJ Gabriel and Amir Ibragimov connecting early on to put the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside.
Ibragimov played a give and go with Gabriel before flicking the ball up and volleying past the keeper with what would have been a certain goal of the season contender if it had stood.
Wolves threatened United’s goal early on as well with a deep cross which was met on the volley and required a strong hand from Fred Heath to steer away from danger.
But it was the combination of Gabriel and Ibragimov again that gave United the lead in the 12th minute.
Junior Brown passed inside to Ibragimov who found Gabriel with a one time pass into the box for Gabriel to dink over the keeper with a delightfully delicate finish.
The weather made a turn for the worse at the wide open training ground which resulted in the free flowing football taking a bit of a backseat in the extreme windy and rainy conditions.
It took until the final minute of the half for United to double their lead with a gift from the Wolves keeper, Alfie Arnold.
James Bailey’s effort from outside the box which should have been a routine save slipped under the keeper and into the goal.
Less than a minute later, another mistake from Wolves allowed Samuel Lusale to race in after a long ball over the top and make it 0-3 to United going into the break.
Second half
Wolves looked to respond from the restart with a decent effort from Mason Stevens at the edge of the box but Fred Heath did exceptionally well to get down quickly and make the save.
The home side found it difficult to keep up with Ibragimov’s quick feet, resulting in a number of fouls on the United captain.
Another late challenge came in on Ibragimov who poked the ball away before lunging over the tackle to avoid contact but the referee brandished a yellow card for simulation.
A call that left Fletcher apoplectic on the sideline and Ibragimov was substituted shortly after to save him for next week’s Manchester derby.
Before the change though, United sealed the win with Nathaniel Junior Brown’s first goal at u18s level. An exquisite touch from Gabriel took him through two Wolves’ defenders before laying off to Brown for the finish.
The win takes United top of the table with five wins from five in the league ahead of Manchester City who do not play this week.
The two Manchester sides meet next Saturday at Carrington in a potential title decider.
Match facts
United: Heath, Helafu (J.Watson 70), McCormack, Mills, Kukonki, Ibragimov (c) (Shah 62), Thwaites (Ibrovic-Fletcher 70), Brown (Ajayi 70), Bailey, Lusale, Gabriel.
Unused subs: Z.Watson
Goals: Gabriel 13, Bailey 45, Lusale 45+1, Brown 61
Featured image Ben Roberts photo 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.
