Manchester United suffered defeat in the FA Youth Cup final against rivals Man City at the Joie Stadium.
Man City opened the scoring after 40 minutes as Floyd Samba scored from a free-kick. This kicked life into Manchester United’s under-18s, with Godwill Kukonki scoring a header to equalise two minutes later.
The second half was played at a slow pace, but United were hanging on for a long time before Reigan Heskey made it 2-1 in the final 10 minutes.
It wasn’t the result Darren Fletcher or anyone at United wanted on the night, but here are three things we learned on the night.
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Man Utd sat too deep
United looked happy to play the game at a slow pace as Darren Fletcher’s side defended from a deep position throughout the game.
The problem United had was that when they retained possession, the transitions were too slow. It didn’t help that key attacking players saw little of the ball.
From a defensive perspective, City found openings and delivered a devastating blow with the winner three minutes before stoppage time.
United had been holding on for long enough and paid the price for sitting too deep for large spells of the match.
JJ Gabriel fails to show up in FA Youth Cup final
Without trying to be harsh, JJ Gabriel didn’t have the same impact on the game that he had throughout the season.
The 15-year-old won the U18 Premier League Player of the Season, but he didn’t see enough of the ball against City in the FA Youth Cup final.
Gabriel will have another chance to try to win the FA Youth Cup next season due to his age. Sadly, not all of his teammates tonight can say that.
Where do you think JJ Gabriel will be by the time he is 18?🔮
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Man City fail to sell out 6,000 home allocation
There was pre-match disappointment surrounding Man City’s decision to move the FA Youth Cup final from the Etihad Stadium to the Joie Stadium.
It meant thousands of United fans and family members of the players missed out on attending the final.
City didn’t want a sea of red at the Etihad, regardless of any lame excuses they give for the move, but it is telling that they were unable to sell out their home allocation of 6,000 on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the sold-out away end was in full voice throughout the night. The 968 tickets for United fans sold out in a minute.
Bruno Fernandes was among United’s first-team players in attendance, along with Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven. There was also room for Michael Carrick, Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada, Jonny Evans, Jonathan Woodgate and David Gill.
This would have been a real spectacle had it been hosted at Old Trafford or a neutral ground like Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
It’s not a good look for City that more than 67,000 attended Old Trafford for the 2022 final. ‘The city is yours,” as United fans sang.
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