Manchester United Under-18s booked their place in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals, beating Arsenal 3-2 after extra time at the Emirates Stadium.
Adam Lawrence’s side took the lead in the first half through Jack Fletcher before Arsenal’s Louis Copley equalised before the break. Max Dowman put the hosts ahead with a penalty he won in the second half, but Jaydan Kamason made sure the tie went to extra time with a powerful strike late on.
Manchester United substitutes Samuel Lusale and Bendito Mantato combined in extra time to see them through. They will play either Aston Villa or Plymouth Argyle in the semi-finals on April 5.
The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell and Art de Roche assess all the action
United strength and depth wins the day
Jack Fletcher opened the scoring with a sweet strike and showed he has some spikiness too with a celebration in front of the Arsenal fans. Fletcher ran behind the goal to knee slide by the corner flag, taking the opportunity to revel in making an impact on a big stage.
Fletcher collected the ball on the left corner of the box and shifted inside on to his weaker right foot to drive home beyond Jack Porter. It was a goal of high quality, and was in keeping with how Fletcher played the whole game.
He has great technique, and could have added a second had he wrapped his left foot round a shot that rippled the side netting. Another Fletcher effort from distance was saved by Porter but parried into danger, with a last-ditch tackle denying Gabriele Biancheri on the rebound.
Jack Fletcher in action for Manchester United (David Price/Getty Images)
It was a night for great hits from range. Harry Amass struck a super shot from 25 yards that saw Porter pull off a one-handed save, but the Arsenal goalkeeper was helpless to Jaydan Kamason’s strike in the 85th minute.
Right-back Kamason had blasted a chance off target in the first half but late on, with his team desperate for an equaliser, he kneed a scooped pass from James Scanlon to control, and with his next touch hammered the ball into the far corner. Porter got a hand to it but was unable to divert.
It capped an excellent display for Kamason who had begun his performance with a last-man tackle on Ceadach O’Neill, timing his slide perfectly. Kamason then outdid O’Neill in an attacking sense, producing a neat bit of skill to beat him and eventually tee up Tyler Fletcher for a shot that Porter palmed wide.
Having got back into the game, United’s strength in depth on the bench told. Coach Adam Lawrence called together his team for a huddle after the final whistle on 90 minutes, and having seen several Arsenal players cramp up, three of his substitutes combined for the winner. Jimmy Thwaites sent a precision ball over the top to Samuel Lusale, whose cut-back met Bendito Mantato’s run perfectly for a simple tap-in.
Kamason’s hard running provoked Arsenal defender Will Sweet into a frustrated lunge in the closing stages, taking an aggressive swipe that the referee decided was worthy of a straight red.
Kamason rifles in United’s equaliser (James Fearn/Getty Images)
Dowman makes his mark, even in defeat
Max Dowman twisting his marker inside and out from inside his own half to win a penalty — which he scored — summed up an unbelievable performance from the 15-year-old.
The fact Manchester United had three players surrounding him in the first half, who he evaded with ease, shows why the England Under-17 international has regularly trained with Arsenal’s first team.
A marked man — or boy, to be more accurate — Dowman’s awareness and confidence running with the ball set him apart.
On that occasion, a calm roll of the ball with his studs left the three opposition players for dead and allowed Arsenal to continue their attack. Minutes later, he had drifted into midfield to receive the ball under less pressure and cut across the ball to fizz a lovely pass in behind for Ceadach O’Neill.
He started on the right wing, but had the licence to go wherever he could impact the game. He popped up on the left as well as in central midfield areas to help Arsenal move forward, and showed his quality across all areas of the pitch.
He got Manchester United’s captain, Jacob Devaney, booked within eight minutes as he needed to be brought down when driving in off the right. Manchester United’s No 6 could also have got a second yellow card for a similar challenge on Dowman early in the second half, but referee Jacob Miles decided against doing so. Devaney was then brought off on 52 minutes — possibly because of that yellow card.
Dowman continued to show good close control to move between bodies and keep possession, as well as withstanding cynical hacks at his legs with roulettes before being dragged to the floor.
By the time he received the ball inside his own half and drove at Reece Munro, he had already taken charge of the game and the situation. It was just a matter of how he would put Arsenal ahead.
With the game back level at 2-2, he was still a force for Arsenal going forward, effortlessly driving into the box to have a shot in added time but seeing it saved.
He may not have won the game for Arsenal, but certainly made an impression.
Dowman slots home his penalty (David Price/Getty Images)
Arsenal can take pride from progress
Adam Birchall’s Arsenal side can be proud with their performance tonight. For the majority of the players, it was their first match at the Emirates Stadium. Ahead of the game, the Under-18s head coach said: “I think we’re the youngest in the competition. We’ve got 15-, 16-year-olds in the squad.”
Marli Salmon was the other 15-year-old to start, and gave a good account of himself. Whether it was by tracking runners into channels or making important last-ditch tackles, he helped keep Arsenal in the game when the visitors were on top.
Jack Porter, their 16-year-old goalkeeper who has made a first debut, did the same with excellent saves throughout the match.
Even though Arsenal’s youngsters went behind, they found a way to get back into the game by going direct. Louis Copley finished Will Sweet’s long pass in behind with a delightful chip which provided the platform for a fight back.
The timing of Manchester United’s equaliser to make it 2-2 was a blow to Arsenal. Many of their players had already been cramping up by the time stoppage time was announced, and extra time seemed like it would always suit the visitors more.
Despite the loss, Arsenal reaching the quarter-final this season was important. Last season they were eliminated in the third round after making the final the year before. To return to the last eight will hopefully provide inspiration and motivation for next year’s cohort to better that.
Arsenal’s Andre Harriman-Annous claps the fans after their defeat (David Price/Getty Images)
No Obi reunion
This game had been set up as the return of Chido Obi, the striker who left Arsenal for United last summer in a move that caused waves at academy level. The transfer was seen as a coup for United given his scoring exploits and here, by luck of the draw, was a chance for him to show Arsenal what they were missing.
But the reunion was put on ice because Obi was kept with United’s first team instead. The 17-year-old made his senior debut ahead of schedule due to United’s injury crisis, coming off the bench at Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, but he would have revelled in dropping back down to face his old team.
Obi scored a hat-trick in the last round against Chelsea on February 12, and he would have anticipated playing in this game just 16 days on.
The decision was made though that with Fulham visiting Old Trafford in the FA Cup on Sunday, Obi might be needed for Ruben Amorim and, of course, that game has to take precedence. Asking Obi to go on at Goodison Park on Sunday, then be on the bench for the visit of Ipswich Town on Wednesday, play for the under-18s in London on Friday, and feature against Fulham in Manchester 48 hours later, might have given Craig David something to sing about but would have been too taxing for a young player, it was judged.
Obi has been training with Amorim’s squad all week, so it would have been a change of scenery for him in any case. His new status does bring into question whether
Instead, Victor Musa played up front but his work was done in setting up others rather than shooting himself. His best moment came when he squared to Jack Fletcher, and he made way for Bendito Mantato with 20 minutes left.
(Top photo: Manchester United/Getty Images)
