Football Today
·10 October 2024
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·10 October 2024
Victor Musa came off the bench to score the winning goal as Manchester United’s Under-21s beat Forest Green Rovers 3-2 in their first National League Cup game last night.
The youngsters made a shaky start to the match as they conceded their first goal within the opening three minutes, with experienced attacker Christian Doidge finishing expertly from a tight angle.
However, the visitors soon regained their composure and levelled the scores through Malachi Sharpe, who combined with Ethan Ennis on the counter before finishing at the near post.
Ennis then got in on the act as he arrowed Habeeb Ogunneye’s pull-back into the top corner to put United 2-1 ahead.
Their advantage didn’t last long as Forest Green restored parity. Harvey Bunker’s effort from the edge of the box hit the target after a slight deflection off Jack Kingdon.
United controlled the second half, but their winning goal arrived only after head coach Travis Binnion introduced several players off the bench.
Victor Musa made an immediate impact after leaving the bench as he latched onto Ethan Williams’ crossfield pass and fired home the winner.
This was an excellent result for United who were missing several key players due to youth international duty, including Toby Collyer, Harry Amass, Ethan Wheatley and Jack Fletcher.
They will now take on Altrincham in the National League Cup before fixtures against Oldham Athletic and Rochdale.
After a four-game group phase, the two top-ranked teams will progress to the quarter-finals that will be played in early February.