Evening Standard
·14 May 2026
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Yahoo sportsEvening Standard
·14 May 2026
Reigan Heskey strikes late to seal huge honour
Reigan Heskey scored a late winner as Manchester City pipped arch rivals Manchester United to the 2026 FA Youth Cup, delivering the title back to the blue half of Manchester for the first time since 2024. A cagey first-half betrayed the nerves both sides were likely feeling from kick-off, but a flurry of activity set the tie alight as the break approached.
Tyrone Samba opened the scoring to give City the lead, but it lasted barely a minute before Godwill Kukonki fired home from close range to level the match at the break. United struggled to muster much attacking threat through the second half but managed to neutralise their hosts’ attacking play until Heskey hit his winner at the death and Chido Obi saw another equaliser cleared off the line in injury time.
Despite being billed as a face-off between two wonderkids in City’s Teddie Lamb and United’s JJ Gabriel, neither of the match’s main characters found the back of the net. Catch up with the action as it happened below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis.







































