Manchester United have made FA Youth Cup mistake despite victory vs Arsenal U18s, it can be fixed

Manchester United’s U18s clinched a place in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals with a dramatic 3-2 extra-time win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night.

United started brightly, with Jack Fletcher firing them ahead after 30 minutes with a stunning long-range strike. Arsenal leveled just before halftime through Louie Copley’s clever finish.

In the second half, 15-year-old Max Dowman won and converted a penalty to put Arsenal in front, but Jaydan Kamason’s late screamer forced extra time.

Substitute Bendito Mantato netted the decisive goal 10 minutes into extra time, and Arsenal’s Will Sweet saw red late on as United held firm for a well-earned victory to secure their place in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals.

It was a gritty display from Adam Lawrence’s side, who once again showed their ability to win in different ways, proving their resilience on Arsenal’s home turf.

United have made FA Youth Cup mistake despite Arsenal victory

United have played four games in the competition so far this season, and all three before the visit to the Emirates Stadium were at home for the Reds.

However, instead of being at Old Trafford, the young side hosted games at Leigh Sports Village, the home of the Womens and Under-21s teams.

The crowd numbers have therefore been understandably limited due to the logistics of getting to the stadium for supporters. United are missing a trick.

Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho were part of the 2022 side which won the FA Youth Cup but it was not simply winning the competition which helped them in their development.

That team were able to play on the Old Trafford turf for five of their six games, including one in the final with 67,000 in attendance. They were fortunate to be drawn at home for all but one game in the cup but the experience of playing at United’s home ground was so beneficial for the players.

It was a dream in the cup final, where those young talents played in front of a larger home crowd than any other first-team side in the country had that season.

So it begs the question, why have the current crop of players had to wait until their away trip to Arsenal to play at the senior ground? Perhaps the dates have not worked, but you feel like they could have worked around that. Some reports have suggested that it is another cost-cutting measure from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

But it seems like a massive shame to not play these games in such a prestigious competition at Old Trafford, especially after seeing the benefits from Garnacho and Mainoo’s group three years ago.

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United are set to play away from home against Aston Villa or Plymouth Argyle in the semi-finals but could end up hosting the final once again if they reach that stage. The Reds have the opportunity to fix their mistake if that occurs, and allow Lawrence’s team to play at the Theatre of Dreams.

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