Manchester City’s Under-21s have got off to the perfect start in their EFL Trophy campaign as they ran out 5-1 winners at Oldham Athletic.
Ben Wilkinson’s EDS side opened the scoring in the 38th minute when Mahamadou Sangare guided home Emilio Lawrence’s low cross from the left.
Lawrence was involved in Manchester City’s second four minutes later, teeing up Justin Oboavwoduo on the counter for a low finish into the right-hand corner.
Ashton Muir then made it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time when he fired in with his first touch after being set up by Sangare.
Luke Hannant reduced Oldham’s deficit with a 52nd-minute penalty, but Sangare got his second of the game on 69 minutes after another high press.
Muir then wrapped up the scoring with his second of the night in the 83rd minute, the 19-year-old firing home with a left-footed effort.
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Although the spotlight largely shone on Sangare and Muir for their respective braces, Oboavwoduo clocked up some especially impressive stats on the night.
Justin Oboavwoduo of Manchester City runs with the ball during the UEFA Youth League match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at Joie Stadium on November 26, 2024
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Justin Oboavwoduo shines for Man City U21s in 5-1 win over Oldham
Alongside registering a goal that a City fan described as “identical to Reijnders vs Wolves”, Oboavwoduo also weighed in with three key passes and two accurate deliveries.
The 19-year-old had three shots on target, one off target, and a fifth effort was blocked. He also hit the woodwork and completed one dribble.
Metric Number
Touches 66
Accurate passes 39/43 (91%)
Key passes 3
Crosses (accurate) 1 (1)
Long balls (accurate) 1 (1)
Shots on target 3
Shots off target 1
Shots blocked 1
Dribble attempts (successful) 2 (1)
Hit woodwork 1
Ground duels (won) 10 (5)
Aerial duels (won) 3 (3)
Possession lost 11
Fouls 2
Was fouled 2
Clearances 1
Total tackles 2
Dribbled past 1
Justin Oboavwoduo stats for Man City EDS vs Oldham (Sofascore)
Oboavwoduo also won five ground duels and all three of his aerial duels, and also chipped in with two tackles and one clearance.
Sofascore gave Oboavwoduo a rating of 8.4 out of 10 for his efforts on the night.
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Justin Oboavwoduo factfile
Oboavwoduo joined Man City’s youth setup aged eight and has risen through the ranks to become a key player for the U21s.
He is a versatile player who largely plays at centre-forward but has also featured at No. 6, No. 8, No. 10 and on the flanks.
The Manchester City website has described Oboavwoduo as a ‘skilful, versatile forward’ who is ‘deadly in front of goal coupled with outstanding trickery in tight areas’.
Last season, Oboavwoduo registered eight goals and four assists from 32 outings at youth level.