United u18s drop points despite dominance as title hopes begin to slip away for Darren Fletcher

Manchester United u18s hosted Sunderland at Carrington in league action this lunchtime. Looking to bounce back after a disappointing defeat to Nottingham Forest last week, United needed a result if they were to keep chase with rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League North table. First half United didn’t get the start they were looking for though as the away side took an early lead. Sunderland scored in the fourth minute when Tom Proctor’s corner was headed in by their captain Liam Hunt. After a slow start, United grew into the match and controlled possession throughout the 90 minutes. Douka Nkoto and JJ Gabriel both threatened with efforts but neither troubled the keeper as the ball sailed wide of the right post on both occasions. United came closest to an equaliser when Samuel Lusale sped past Bayley Hester on the right wing before having his shot deflected onto the post and out. Second half Sunderland came out of the gates hot in the second half as they did in the first, forcing a good save from Fred Heath. Jim Thwaites’ set piece deliveries were a source of creativity for United but Jacob Watson and Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher both headed wide after getting on the receiving end. Darren Fletcher’s side pushed until the final whistle for an equaliser. They thought they had it late on when the ball fell to JJ Gabriel inside the box, but the 15 year old couldn’t turn the ball towards goal and it went wide, a common theme throughout the match. The loss sees United remain in second place but they are now three points behind Manchester City, who also have a game in hand. Match facts United: Heath, Overy, Kukonki, Mills, Watson (McCormack 59), Thwaites (c), McEvoy (Ibragimov 59), Lusale, Bailey (Brown 75), Gabriel, Nkoto (Ibrovic-Fletcher 65) Unused subs: Osuchukwu Featured image James Fearn via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social 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. You can follow him X: RedYouthUnited.