What happened…
Brahim Diaz’s second half strike earned City a point at the Etihad Stadium in the first Manchester derby of the weekend.
City could have taken the lead twice in the opening ten minutes with major chances for both Rodney Kongolo and Lukas Nmecha.
Despite the Blues’ dominance of possession, it was United who broke the deadlock through midfielder Matthew Willock. The tall number eight weaved his way into the box and slid his shot past a helpless Billy O’Brien in City’s goal.
City fought to regain their earlier composure but it wasn’t until Brahim Diaz replaced the injured Paolo Fernandes shortly before half-time that the Blues looked settled again.
Winger Javairo Dilrosun was next to get the City fans off their seat with a left footed strike from the edge of the box early in the second half.
It was a similar move that earned City their equaliser with Diaz this time the protagonist. The 17-year-old cut inside and curled his left footed shot inside United goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara’s far post.
City pushed hard for a winner and came closest in the dying moments with Diaz yet again involved. The Spaniard found a pocket of space in a crowded penalty area but was smothered before he could get his shot away and the scores remained level.
What it means...
Simon Davies’ side now have two wins, one draw and one loss from their four matches in the Premier League 2 competition.
The young Blues next face Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday afternoon. You can get to tickets to be at the Academy Stadium here.
Key moment…
After Paolo Fernandes had struggled through the first half with a knock picked up early on, the decision was made to substitute him shortly before half-time.
His replacement, Brahim Diaz, provided a big spark for the Blues and eventually grabbed the equaliser.
Man of the match…
James Horsfield – ‘Horsy’ is renowned for his versatility and he demonstrated that perfectly this evening; turning out in three different positions.
The 20-year-old started at right-back before moving to midfield in the second half and finally filling in excellently at centre-back as City chased the winner.
How they lined up…
Goalkeeper Billy O’Brien continued with the captain’s armband. James Horsfield, Cameron Humphreys, Charlie Oliver and Marcus Wood remained ever presents in their solid back four until Oliver and Wood were replaced by Duhaney and Davenport respectively.
Sadou Diallo made his first start of the season sitting behind Rodney Kongolo and Paolo Fernandes in centre midfield. These were looking to support the attack of Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, Javairo Dilrosun and Lukas Nmecha.
Substitutes: Daniel Grimshaw, Demeaco Duhaney, Erik Sarmiento, Jacob Davenport, Brahim Diaz
United XI: O’Hara, El-Fitouri, Tuanzebe, Poole, Riley, Redmond, Scott, Willock, McTominay, Harrop, Mitchell
