For the first time in 2026, Oliver Reiss and our Under-18s took centre stage in the league, knowing a win on Saturday would extend our lead at the top of the table to seven.
City’s youngsters have been in fine form with eight successive wins, which includes two triumphs in the FA Youth Cup.
In those eight victories, Reiss’ side have scored a staggering 30 goals and conceded just seven.
But standing in our way was a Blackburn side looking to earn a third successive win, which would see them climb into the top 10.
So, who would come out on top in our first league game of 2026?
Find out via our CITY+ full-match replay above...
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A CITY+ subscription unlocks a host of exclusive content throughout the 2025/26 season:
70+ live fixtures, including matches from the Premier League 2, UEFA Youth League, Barclays Women’s Super League, Subway League Cup (subject to broadcast scheduling), Under-18 Premier League North and FA Youth Cup.
Full-match replays of every men’s first-team game will be available within 24 hours after kick-off and will be followed by our brand new 20-minute highlights package.
Award-winning City Studios documentaries, including Together, our documentary on our former Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, who has called time on his 13-year career with the Club, and other behind-the-scenes feature-length films.
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