Liam Smith put City ahead early on following Kian Breckin‘s clever pass to make it the perfect start.
However, City were unable to grab a second goal, which Middlesbrough took advantage of as they were awarded a penalty and Fenton John made no mistake from the spot.
WHAT HAPPENED
City travelled north in a confident mood after claiming our first silverware of the season, the Under-17s Premier League Cup.
And this was reflected with an electric start to the match.
Breckin played Smith in behind, who finished it off calmly to give the Blues an early advantage in the game.
City continued to dominate possession, with Boro sitting deep and defending in numbers.
Middlesbrough played a counter-attacking game and managed to create a couple of half chances that never troubled George Murray-Jones’ goal.
Smith’s early goal was City’s only shot in the first half, but enough to provide a slim lead at the break.
The hosts came out for the second half with more aggression, and City were unfortunate to give away a penalty only 10 minutes into the half.
The hosts’ striker, John, wrong-footed Murray-Jones and stroked the ball into the back of the net to give Boro their equaliser.
City kept plugging away, but Boro were resilient right to the final whistle, with fouls in the middle of the park disrupting play and the home side picked three yellow cards up in the remaining 10 minutes as a result.
Ben Wilkinson’s side ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils on Teesside.
HOW WE LINED UP
Wilkinson made six changes from the 1-0 victory over Everton in our last league encounter.
George Murray-Jones returned in goal, with Tom Galvez, Jadel Katongo, Max Alleyne and Rico Lewis making up the back four.
Shea Charles played in the number six role, with Nico O’Reilly and Kian Breckin taking positions between the lines in the midfield.
Tai Sodje played as the sole striker, with Liam Smith and Dire Mebude on the wings.
Middlesbrough Under-18s
Starting XI: Fisher; Marshall, Whelan, Lindo, Gitau, Simpson, Wollston, Traore, Bridge, John, Matthews
Subs: Bulmer, MacCarthy, Wallace-Ming, Evans, Costello
Manchester City Under-18s
Starting XI: Murray-Jones; Galvez, Katongo, Alleyne, Lewis (C), O’Reilly, Charles, Breckin, Smith, Sodje, Mebude
Subs: Grant, Whittingham, Adam, Dickson, Barrington
WHAT IT MEANS
City have a seven-point advantage at the summit of the Under-18s Premier League North over Liverpool, who closed the gap with a 10-3 win over Leeds United.
UP NEXT
Next, City face second-placed Liverpool in a tense midweek clash at the City of Football Academy.
With the teams separated by seven points, and the Merseysiders having a game in hand, Thursday’s tie will be a crucial encounter.
Kick off is scheduled for 12:00 (UK) and will be shown live on CITY+.
