Manchester United were beaten in the FA Youth Cup final by Manchester City on Thursday night.
The first-half was a nervy encounter, with Manchester City taking a lead from a direct free-kick which rifled into the top corner beyond Cameron Byrne-Hughes.
But Manchester United struck back within a minute, as Godwill Kukonki headed home an equaliser after Jim Thwaites‘ brilliant cross.
United were poor in the second-half, sitting so deep and allowing City to control the game; eventually, this proved costly as Reigan Heskey scored the winner.
In the end, United were beaten 2-1 by City, making a painful loss for the young side, who did so well to get there.
Who was Manchester United U18s standout player in FA Youth Cup final defeat?
Some strong outings despite the loss..
Cameron Byrne-Hughes – 8.5
Massive save in the first half denied the most lethal U18 striker in the country, followed by a handful more big stops. Could do little for the City goals.
Yuel Helafu – 7.5
Defended really well and got across to help with Ryan McAidoo on a couple of occasions when City were breaking.
Albert Mills – 7
Strong defensively to keep City at bay for so long.
Dan Armer – 7
Solid display from the captain, City didn’t really trouble him.
Godwill Kukonki – 8
Defended well for the majority of the game, but got forward even better with some driving runs, one seeing him head home United’s equaliser at 1-1.
Jim Thwaites – 9
Brilliant cross for Kukonki’s goal, with a handful of other passes creating opportunities. Ran the show from a United point of view. Picked some brilliant balls out toward the end.
Rafe McCormack – 7
Had a nice evening in midfield but was withdrawn at half-time.
Amir Ibragimov – 7.5
Worked really hard, looked unnatural back on the wing, but improved when moved into midfield.
Noah Ajayi – 7
Had some nice moments on the ball and tracked back well to help Kukonki.
JJ Gabriel – 6.5
A very quiet night by his own magical standards, struggled with the pace of the game.
Chido Obi – 6.5
Missed a couple of really good chances, was second best in duels with the City defenders.
Nathaniel Junior Brown – 6
Didn’t have much of an impact off the bench despite getting a whole half.
James Overy – 6.5
Solid showing from the Aussie.
Dante Plunkett – 6
Came on as a late sub.
Samuel Lusale – 6
Wasn’t given enough time to make a difference.
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