Wonderkid JJ Gabriel scores first goal at Old Trafford as United advance in the FA Youth Cup

Manchester United u18s hosted Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday night. The illustrious cup competition gave the young Red Devils the opportunity to play at Old Trafford, with an announced attendance of 1,378 on the night. Peterborough were always going to be a tough test, having shown strength in cup competitions so far this season. They topped their group in the Premier League Cup with wins against category one academies Stoke City and Norwich City. First half The visitors looked to play out from the back from the start and almost played their way into trouble. Just three minutes into the match, Bendito Mantato stole the ball inside the Peterborough area before squaring to Louie Bradbury, but the United number nine scuffed his effort wide. United controlled possession during the opening stages but did not threaten the Peterborough goal much before taking the lead in the 22nd minute. An excellent turn by Jariyah Shah at the edge of the box created space to pass inside to Junior Brown, who cleverly laid it off with his first touch to JJ Gabriel, who side-footed into the bottom right corner from 18 yards. United almost doubled their lead on the half-hour mark, but some last-ditch defending blocked four shots in a row and kept it just 1-0 at the break. Second half Early in the second half, Gabriel fed the ball to Mantato on the right, who chopped inside his defender in a manner reminiscent of a young Cristiano Ronaldo. Unfortunately, the quality of the finish did not match, as it soared over the crossbar. An incredible double save from the Peterborough keeper denied United their second of the match, initially stopping Mantato’s volley before getting his hand to Jariyah Shah’s rebound attempt. United’s Cameron Byrne-Hughes matched the effort with two saves in quick succession shortly afterwards. Byrne-Hughes did not have to make many saves on the night but was exceptional with his sweeping, not allowing Peterborough to take advantage of their pacey forwards. Gabriel was set free late in the match by a Noah Ajayi flick but was denied as he approached the box by another great last-ditch tackle from Peterborough. The final whistle came with the score still 1-0, putting United through to the next round, where they will play the winner of Cambridge United and Derby County at home. Match facts United: Byrne-Hughes, Helafu (McEvoy 78), Mills, Armer, Kukonki, Thwaites, Shah (Overy 72), Mantato, Gabriel (McCormack 89), Brown (Lusale 59), Bradbury (Ajayi 70) Unused subs: Heath, Plunkett Goals: JJ Gabriel 22 Featured image of Jim Thwaites by 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.