Manchester City 3-1 West Ham United U21s
Premier League 2, Joie Stadium, Friday 22 August, 7pm BST
West Ham United U21s were beaten 3-1 at the home of the defending champions Manchester City at Joie Stadium.
Despite matching the four-time Premier League 2 champions for much of the contest and a late strike from Mohamadou Kanté, goals either side of half-time from Ryan McAidoo, Reigan Heskey and Justin Oboavwoduo were enough to seal the three points for the home side.
Keeping a disciplined shape, West Ham limited City’s attacking threat for much of the opening half-hour. Goalkeeper Fin Herrick was equal to everything asked of him, producing a smart save to deny Jaden Heskey, while captain Airidas Golambeckis made a crucial block to keep the scores level.
Just before half-time, however, City found a breakthrough when Ryan McAidoo intercepted on the halfway line and finished clinically at the far post to give the hosts the lead. City doubled their advantage shortly before the hour through Reigan Heskey, and added a third via Justin Oboavwoduo, but the young Hammers refused to let their heads drop.
The closing stages saw some of their best football, with Emeka Adiele and Preston Fearon combining to create an opening that required a last-ditch clearance on the line after Regan Clayton found Gabriel Caliste unmarked in the penalty area. Herrick then showcased his reflexes again with a great double save to keep the scoreline at three.
The young Hammers did find a consolation goal deep into stoppage time when Kanté, lively since his introduction from the bench, intercepted high up the pitch and struck low into the corner for his second goal in Claret and Blue, ensuring West Ham’s efforts were reflected on the scoresheet.
The U21s return to action next Friday with another Premier League 2 away fixture, this time against Sunderland.
Manchester City U21s: Wint, Samuel, Noble, Mfuni, McFarlane, Fapetu (Dada-Mascoll 82), McAidoo (Muir 75) J. Heskey ©, Oboavwoduo (Lawrence 75), Mukasa, R. Heskey (Sangaré 75)
Subs not used: Brits (GK)
Booked: McFarlane
Goals: McAidoo 43, R. Heskey 58, Oboavwoduo 69
West Ham United U21s: Herrick, Briggs, Golambeckis ©, Mayers, Robinson, Akpata (Clayton 60), Fearon (Akpata 79), Rigge (Ajala 60), Battrum (Caliste 81), Adiele, Antonio (Kanté 60)
Subs not used: Hooper (GK)
Booked: Clayton, Robinson, Battrum
Goal: Kanté 90+5
Robson: We need to trust our quality more on the ball
After the final whistle, lead coach Mark Robson praised his side’s defensive discipline but admitted that a lack of belief in possession ultimately proved costly against the defending champions.
“I’ve got to say, I thought the boys defended really well in the first half. We limited them, made it difficult for them to find gaps, and I felt we were in good shape defensively.
“Fin Herrick was excellent again, not just with his shot stopping but also with the ball at his feet. He’s had a really strong start to the season.
“The biggest disappointment for me tonight, and I said it to the boys afterwards, is that I thought we lacked a bit of belief in possession. We’ve got some really good players who are comfortable on the ball and know how to keep it, but we gave it away too many times.
“Against a side like City, if you keep doing that, eventually they’re going to find those moments. It’s a massive learning curve for us, and I’ve got to say City were impressive.
“When we did play with belief in the last 20 minutes, you saw that we were able to cause them problems. But it wasn’t enough. We needed to do more of that from the start.”
