The Manchester United Under-18s traveled to face Stoke City on Saturday morning in just their third league game of the season.
The starting XI presented a new face when 14-year-old wunderkind Amir Ibragimov made his competitive debut for the U18s after recently scoring in a friendly.
United opened the game with a few early headed chances from Ethan Williams and Manni Norkett, but none bothered the Stoke goalkeeper.
Against the grain of the game, Stoke’s Matty Lusakueno broke through the United defense but was unable to beat Tom Wooster into goal.
Most of the action came late in the first half with a flurry of chances beginning with Stoke hitting the woodwork after a cross went unsaved.
Manni Norkett then forced a save from a tight angled shot before Adam Berry tried his luck with a long-range free kick that went over the crossbar.
Five minutes into the second half, a great chance opened up for Stoke after a Sonny Aljofree toss. A cutback seemed to create an easy chance to finish in the open goal, but Harrison Parker somehow managed to recover and clear.
Both sides traded blows back and forth, with the young Ibragimov charging to start an attack before finding Norkett in the box, who dropped the ball for Ethan Wheatley’s first touch off the bench. But his shot with his left foot crossed the goal and deflected just inches from the right post.
Wheatley had another chance soon after, but this time the shot was blocked.
In the 67th minute, a long clearance down the field by the Stoke goalkeeper completely caught United’s backline and Lusakueno raced back to push the ball past Wooster’s advance to give Stoke the lead.
United’s best chance of the match came three minutes later, when Berry executed an exquisite outside pass from the top of the boot for Norkett to run towards him before circling the keeper and hitting the post.
United would chase all the way for the equalizer, but ultimately couldn’t find the back of the net.
United: Wooster, Lawrence (Nolan 75), Parker (Jackson 60), Aljofree, Murray, McAllister (Fitzgerald 60), Oyedele, Williams (Wheatley 60), Berry, Ibragimov, Norkett
Unused Subs: Myles
