A single first half strike from Bersant Celina was enough to secure passage to the last eight, but Jason Wilcox’s young charges controlled the game and without some goalkeeping heroics and last ditch defending might have added a few more to the tally.
Stoke created few clear chances to equalise and it was a deserved victory for City, who will now go on to face Arsenal or Crewe for a spot in the semi-finals of the country’s most prestigious youth competition.
City had made short work of the fourth round, sweeping aside Coventry 8-2, including a sumptuous hattrick from Brandon Barker – spurning an instant viral hit.
However, the boys in blue knew that Stoke would present a rather sterner test with a place in the last eight of the competition up for grabs. The two sides had already locked horns earlier this season but 90 minutes failed to separate them – 1-1 draw which marked the last ever competitive fixture held at Platt Lane.
However, Jason Wilcox had a strong squad to call on for this latest meeting, and named several EDS regulars in his starting XI. In all, there were just two changes from the side that excelled against Coventry, with Aaron Nemane occupying the right wing slot.
Thierry Ambrose, ruled out with an elbow problem sustained while on first team duties in Abu Dhabi.
It was Boadu himself who was handed the game’s first clear opportunity, showing off a quick turn of pace to get one on one with the advancing Stoke keeper Daniel Gyollia, but the stopper did well to get his body behind the shot.
In an even, tightly-contested opening to the game the visitors gave City’s defence an early scare, seizing on a defensive mix-up at the edge of the box, and Charlie Albinson was relieved to see the resulting attempt deflect wide off a covering defender.
The combination of Barker and Angelino on the left hand side proved a potent one for the young blues, and they were desperately unlucky not to take the lead midway through the first half. Barker stretched his legs down the wing and left his full back’s head spinning but his threaded ball was somehow scrambled away off the line.
City began to exert significant pressure and Celina found the goalkeeper’s gloves on two occasions, first with a low curling shot and then from a free kick before he finally got the better of him after 37 minutes.
The Kosovan forward was played in brilliantly by Boadu through the legs of a Stoke defender, and Celina’s tricky feet took him past the keeper to tuck the ball home from close range.
Boadu was inches away from doubling the advantage minutes after half time, but the excellent Gyollai somehow managed to get his body in the way, before Stoke’s Oliver Shenton attempted the spectacular from distance and was not too far away from finding the equaliser.
City kept pushing and probing in search of the comfort of a second goal, but a combination of desperate defending, wayward shooting and the keeper’s brilliance proved difficult to overcome.
Boadu lashed an effort over the top after fantastic work from Nemane on the right, and the winger was unfortunate not to find the net himself from Barker’s cross but saw the ball nicked off his toes from the vigilant centre back.
Sub Javairo Dilrosun sent in a teasing ball which rolled agonisingly across the face of the goal, while Boadu saw another effort blocked as part of an energetic and skilful display from the England youth international.
As the snow swirled round the ground, Stoke might have found a late leveller and raised the unwelcome prospect of extra time in the bitter Manchester cold, but City’s back line – solid all evening and marshalled by skipper Tosin Adarabioyo – were relieved to see the ball roll through to Albinson.
Marcus Wood had the chance to put some gloss on the result with the seconds ticking away but his low shot was just too close to the diving keeper.
In the end, one goal proved enough and City now march on to the quarter finals.
