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Wednesday 29 January 2025 21:34
Manchester United Under-21s finished our National League Cup group-stage campaign with a perfect record, after earning a fourth win out of four with a commanding 5-0 win away to Oldham Athletic.
United dominated the ball throughout, but an entertaining first half, which included opportunities for both sides, ended goalless.
But we carried our pressure from before the break into the second half, eventually running out resounding winners, scoring five goals in the final half an hour.
After Jack Moorhouse opened the scoring with a composed left-footed finish, there were further efforts from Chido Obi, Malachi Sharpe, Sam Mather and Victor Musa as Travis Binnion’s side put in a commanding display just 12 miles north east of Old Trafford – with chants of ‘United’ and ‘Red Army’ from the main stand perhaps no surprise.
We now await news of our quarter-final opponents, having topped Group B, with last-eight ties due to be played from 5 and 6 February.
U21s: Moorhouse nets opener Video
U21s: Moorhouse nets opener
WATCH | Jack Moorhouse wins the ball from deep, then finishes coolly to break the deadlock v Oldham…
Sharpe forged the first clear opening when he ran clear to the edge of the area with goalkeeper Jacob Dennis rushing before him, but fired just wide – and Shaun Hobson saw the same result with his header immediately up the other end.
Having enjoyed the majority of possession, United began to turn the screw from the half-hour mark onwards – Obi drew a first save from Dennis with a smart first-time effort, while Elyh Harrison was called into action to keep Sam Taylor at bay, with Sam Murray making an important block from the Oldham man’s initial strike, too.
We looked set to take the lead late in the half when Sharpe’s ball across the face of goal was picked up by Mather and shifted back to Obi in the centre, who dug out an effort which was frantically cleared off the line. Moorhouse then forced his way into the box but struck wide of the far post as the sides went in goalless at the break.
United picked up where we left off in the second half – Sharpe placing a shot just wide of the far post within 30 seconds of the restart, with Obi striking a post five minutes later.
Mather was inches from opening the scoring when he diverted a Sharpe square ball just wide, but Moorhouse did put United deservedly ahead on 64 minutes. The midfielder started the move by intercepting near the halfway line, then sidestepped a defender and slotted home coolly, after receiving Mather’s accurate cross.
Obi and substitute Ruben Curley forced Latics goalkeeper Dennis to turn their efforts around the post, before the former got our second with 20 minutes remaining, converting into an empty net after Moorhouse had seen another shot well-stopped.
Within two minutes, it was three, as Sharpe finished brilliantly across goal to find the bottom left corner, and Mather rifled a fourth into the roof of the net in the final stages.
Elyh Harrison preserved our clean sheet with a late one-on-one save to deny Taylor a consolation, and there was still time for a United fifth – as substitute Musa headed in Murray’s corner in stoppage-time to add further gloss to a commanding, and deserved, scoreline across the other side of Greater Manchester.
Malachi Sharpe was one of our five goalscorers on the evening.
MATCH DETAILS
United: Harrison; Ogunneye, Fredricson (c), Kukonki, Murray; Kone, McAllister (Curley 60); Sharpe (Scanlon 78), Moorhouse, Mather; Obi (Musa 84).
Subs not used: Myles, Rowe, Kamason, Munro.
Goals: Moorehouse 63, Obi 70, Sharpe 72, Mather 83, Musa 90+2.
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Wednesday 29 January 2025 21:34
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