Manchester United’s under-21s met Liverpool last night at Leigh Sports Village, aiming to continue the victory they won last time at Fulham.
(The Fulham match report is here).
However, it was a bad start for United, as Liverpool took the lead already in the 4th minute. Mark Jurado could only knock a corner into the legs of Luka Stephenson at the edge of the penalty area, who curled in the upper corner from the fingertips of Radek Vitek.
Joe Hugill answered almost instantly after Brandon Williams punched him from above, but the striker was able to find the side netting only thanks to his efforts.
Liverpool had a chance to double their advantage when Williams cancelled out possession, which gave Mateusz Musilowski a chance to break into the penalty area and achieve a fantastic save by Vitek.
Chances were flowing for both sides, and another outlet for United when Zidane Iqbal burst into open space before making a delicate pass into the path of Noam Emeran, whose scuffed effort gave the goalkeeper no problems at the end.
But the goalkeeper’s subsequent takedown put Liverpool under pressure again: Charlie Savage picked up the ball and gave a pass to Isak Hansen-Aaroen, who danced into the penalty area with deft feet before giving the ball to Hugill to send the ball from six yards and draw. level at the 18th minute.
Liverpool’s inability to knock the ball out provided another chance at the end of the half for Savage, who opened his beloved left foot, but could not contain the shot as it flew over the crossbar.
At the beginning of the second half, Liverpool looked as if they had unblocked United’s defense, but due to the fact that Williams kicked a goal, the ball flew to the corner.
United’s reserve player Mateo Mejia made an impact when he drove down the right flank into the penalty area and then equalized with Hugill in the center to score from two yards for the second time in the match.
The 19-year-old’s second will ultimately be the winner as he continues to make a remarkable recovery from injury, scoring four goals in just three league appearances this season.
Joe Hugill's brace against Liverpool U21s ⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ys0ouOsfRt
— utdreport Academy (@utdreportAcad) January 14, 2023
United: Vitek, Jurado, Kambwala, Hardley, Williams, Savage, Iqbal, Emeran (Mejia, 56), Hansen-Aaroen (Collyer, 84), Forson, Hugill
Unused substitutions: Mastny, Pai, McNeil
