Manchester United Under-18’s defence of the FA Youth Cup was over last night as the Young Reds narrowly lost to Stoke City 1-0 at the Bet 365 Stadium.
Our #FAYouthCup journey comes to an end.#MUFC || #MUAcademy pic.twitter.com/rA9kQfruhu
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 11, 2023
Josh Bickerton scored the only goal of the game to hand the Potters the victory, but his free-kick was fortunate to find the back of the net because it took a deflection off Ethan Williams and wrong-footed Elyh Harrison in the United goal.
United played well in the game and were unlucky not to get score as the Stoke ‘keeper, Tommy Smith, pulled off a number of saves to keep United a bay, which ultimately ensured Stoke’s passage in to the next round.
In the first half, both United and Stoke had chances to score, but 11 minutes in to the second half, Stoke took the lead through Bickerton’s free-kick, however, United kept pushing for an equaliser.
With United trying to get a route back into the game, Maxi Oyedele brought about a brilliant save from Smith in the Stoke goal as the United man’s run forward created space for himself to strike a powerful shot from long-range.
The United captain on the night, Dan Gore, also went close to scoring as he displayed a good piece of skill on the edge of the area to glide away from the Potters’s backline and get a shot away but his effort went just wide.
Travis Binnn’s side can be proud of their efforts at the Bet 365, however, it was not to be as they were eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup,