
Liverpool up to fourth but Salah injured in eventful Palace win
Liverpool climbs to fourth with a 3-1 win over Palace, but Salah's injury raises concerns.
Sunderland U18s defeated Manchester United U18s 2-1 in a league match. Manchester United fielded a heavily rotated squad with only two starters from their previous match.
Mentioned in this story
Academy Match Report: Sunderland U18s 2-1 Manchester United U18s
Manchester United Under-18s travelled to Sunderland on Saturday afternoon for a league encounter.
It was a heavily rotated selection from Darren Fletcher, with only two starters from Wednesday’s Premier League Cup final remaining in the side.
In the midst of a title charge, United had to do without a number of key players on the day, including JJ Gabriel, who missed out in order to train with the first team.
The young Red Devils got off to a bad start as a mistake from keeper Fred Heath saw the ball turned over to Caleb Shakespeare, who quickly fired into the goal.
United responded nearly immediately, levelling the score back in just the eighth minute. Jay McEvoy’s corner delivery found the head of Louie Bradbury, who headed in from close range at the front post.
Sunderland restored their lead five minutes later after another error from United, as Douka Nkoto’s raised hand inadvertently caught the face of the attacker and conceded a penalty.
Jay Matadeen slotted into the right corner from the spot to make it 2-1 to the home side at Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground.
Later in the half, Heath produced a big save to keep the deficit at one after Sunderland broke free down the right wing.
In stoppage time, Bradbury tried to catch Sunderland’s keeper Joe Cowan out of his goal with an audacious half-volley from near the halfway line, but the Welsh striker’s effort went wide of the goal.
The final score was Sunderland U18s 2, Manchester United U18s 1.
Manchester United U18s had a rotated squad due to several key players missing, including JJ Gabriel, who was training with the first team.
Key players missing included JJ Gabriel, who was unavailable as he was training with the first team.

Liverpool climbs to fourth with a 3-1 win over Palace, but Salah's injury raises concerns.

Palhinha's late winner gives Spurs their first Premier League victory of 2026!
Bronny and LeBron James make history with first father-son assist in NBA playoffs during Lakers' win!
Jannik Sinner expresses disappointment over Alcaraz's injury withdrawal from Roland Garros.
Alex De Minaur's recent defeat raises questions about his 2026 prospects.
Cagliari takes on Atalanta in Serie A on April 27. Here's what to expect!
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
In the second half, Sunderland continued to look the more likely to score when they hit the post after Heath failed to claim the high ball from a corner delivery.
United did well to maintain control in the second half but struggled to create any clear-cut chances, with a wide-angle effort from Jariyah Shah that was parried away from danger the pick of the bunch.
In the 79th minute, Sunderland hit the post twice in quick succession, striking the left post before seeing another attempt cannon off the right post and out after a melee in the United area.
United were handed a lifeline in stoppage time to salvage a point when a stellar long ball from McEvoy found the path of Junior Brown, who was cleaned out by Cowan to earn a penalty.
After losing the penalty shoot-out in the Premier League Cup on Wednesday, Noah Ajayi never looked confident and had his effort saved.
Failing to pick up any points on the day, United now trail league leaders Manchester City by six points. United will also meet City in the FA Youth Cup final, for which a date has yet to be set.
United: Heath, Overy (C), Emsden-James (G.Ibragimov 88), McCormack, Plunkett (Brown 63), McEvoy, Shah, Camacho Sidos (O’Brien 63), D.Nkoto, Ajayi, Bradbury.
Unused subs: Z.Watson, Helafu.
Goals: Bradbury 9.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social