Manchester United U18s continued their brilliant start to the season under new coach Darren Fletcher, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 in the Premier League Cup on Wednesday afternoon.
United dominated proceedings early on but struggled to create clear-cut chances due to Brighton’s brilliant defending.
Likewise, the visitors failed to create goal-scoring chances at the other end. On 35 minutes, they tried to create an opening from a counter-attack, but James Overy’s crucial tackle ended that attacking sequence.
United’s breakthrough came just before the stroke of halftime, when Godwill Kukonki put the ball home from Jim Thwaites’s left-sided delivery.
Brighton started the second half positively and had the chance to score through captain Tate Ferdinand, son of United legend Rio Ferdinand, but his header was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Fred Heath.
Their momentum was halted as United scored three goals within three minutes. The first came on 52 minutes when Samuel Lusale crossed to Bendito Mantato, who showed great vision to find the run of captain Amir Ibragimov, whose first-time effort found the bottom corner.
Mantato extended United’s lead, combining with Ibragimov before finding the back of the net. Lusale scored in the 55th minute with a right-footed strike after sprinting past his marker on the left wing.
United continued to dominate possession after the flurry of goals, and the introduction of JJ Gabriel, Kai Rooney, and Douka Nkoto helped them to sustain the momentum.
Nkoto almost got on the scoresheet with a fierce strike late in the game, while Lusale forced goalkeeper Michael Dike to make a save but United could not add to their tally.
Courtesy of the result, United sit atop the standings and will face Middlesbrough in their next fixture in the competition on October 4. Before then, Fletcher’s side have four league games to play, starting with this weekend’s clash at Derby County.