Man Utd U18s lost on penalties against Crystal Palace in the Premier League Cup final, suffering defeat in sudden death.
22:26, 22 Apr 2026
Chido Obi looked just as happy to assist as he would if he’d scored himself in the Premier League Cup final, which was another sign of progress for Manchester United’s young striker.
United academy coaches have laid down the gauntlet to Obi to improve his off-the-ball work. There have been challenging moments for Obi this term, and his deficiencies have been more obvious in some games than others, but he turned up in the Premier League Cup final.
Dean Benamar, Ben Casey and Joel Drakes-Thomas have already made their senior debuts for Crystal Palace, and they all started, but Obi was the only player in United’s XI with a first-team appearance under his belt.
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The decision was made to keep Obi in the academy this season. The young striker made eight senior appearances last term, so he was disappointed to learn he would exclusively play in youth games this season, but the decision has benefited him.
It was obvious that Obi was switched on when he played a slick lay-off to JJ Gabriel, and shielded the ball intelligently and played it wide in the subsequent phase of play. Then he assisted the United goal.
The weight of the pass to Noah Ajayi was perfect from the left flank. The young winger still had plenty to do, but his first touch in the box was superb, and he calmly finished into the bottom right corner.
There are shades of Marcus Rashford when Ajayi plays for United’s academy. The way Ajayi glides on the left and finishes with a low shot is eerily similar to how Rashford played in a United shirt. That is a huge compliment.
Ajayi has gone under the radar in the academy this season – and that is about to change. He was forced off with an injury at the start of the second half at Selhurst Park, but it spoke volumes that he wanted to continue.
The quirk of the Premier League Cup final was the U18s had faced Palace last week in the FA Youth Cup semi-final. United needed extra time to put Palace away in that tie, suggesting it would be tight again with a trophy at stake.
Gabriel scored against Palace at Old Trafford, but he otherwise wasn’t in the game, struggling to have an impact against heavy marking. The 15-year-old has been the talk of youth circles, so it’s not a surprise to see teams doubling up with markers in an attempt to stop him.
Palace’s efforts worked again in the Premier League Cup final, meaning Gabriel was replaced with 20 minutes remaining. The youngster looked furious as he trudged off the pitch to be replaced by Amir Ibragimov.
Gabriel is the talisman in the U18s’ dressing room, but it’s a team game. Obi had that status last season and also looked disappointed to be substituted, but the 18-year-old has matured to the extent that he will get the chance to audition for the first-team in pre-season.
Jim Thwaites is another player with first-team aspirations who started in the cup final. The talented midfielder would not look out of place in Barcelona’s esteemed academy, ‘La Masia’, such is his ability to pull the strings from the engine room, but his set-piece ability is what sets him apart.
Thwaites has already been compared to David Beckham because of his quality when he stands over a set-play, and he looked bullish when United were awarded a free-kick around 25 yards out in the first half.
The Manchester Evening News interviewed Thwaites at the beginning of the week, and his eyes twinkled when trophies were mentioned. “This club is built around trophies,” he said, outlining his ambition to get his hands on silverware in Croydon.
Fletcher made the decision to return to his U18 head coach role after serving as first-team caretaker. United sources were extremely impressed with how Fletcher conducted himself as caretaker, but he stepped back down to the academy to further his coaching development.
The Scot got a taste of the Premier League and FA Cup during his first-team stint. That experience will stand Fletcher in good stead in his career, although coaching in the academy sphere is similarly useful because youth fixtures are bound to expose coaches to mid-game conundrums.
That’s exactly what happened in Croydon on Wednesday night. United could not find a second goal to kill Palace off in the second – Obi came closest when striking the crossbar – and that proved to be costly.
When the fourth official confirmed five minutes of added time would be played, the trophy was in sight, but Albert Mills conceded a penalty at the death, pulling down the Palace forward in United’s box.
Mills was shown a straight red card, and he was spotted watching Ben Casey convert the spot kick from the tunnel. The young defender instantly turned around and disappeared from view to return to the dressing room.
Palace were buoyed by the sending off and the Holmesdale Fanatics got a little louder. Fletcher switched to five at the back in an attempt to shore up the defence, and the game went to a penalty shootout.
The home side won 6-5 on penalties. United’s youngsters slumped to the turf and it was at least reassuring to see United’s coaching staff quickly make their way to the centre circle to offer some support.
The silver lining for United is that they could still win the league title, and they have reached the FA Youth Cup final. The treble is now off the table, but there is still silverware to be won this season.
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