Player Ratings: Brighton & Hove Albion U21s 1-0 Manchester United U21s | OneFootball

Manchester United Under-21s narrowly missed out on silverware as Brighton & Hove Albion Under-21s edged past them in the Premier League 2 play-off final.

These are our player ratings for the match. You can read a detailed match report here.

(A score of six is around average.)

Ratings

Will Murdock – 7.5 – Capped off a great season with another performance of high quality. His proactiveness off the line was key to making a great save in the first half and putting off the Brighton attacker in another one-on-one situation.

Jaydan Kamason – 6 – A mixed bag on the night, he was decent in possession and bringing the ball out from the back but defensively found it tough at times to deal with former United man Nehemiah Oriola’s directness.

Sonny Aljofree – 5.5 – He was lucky to get away with a bad back pass in the first half that gifted Brighton a one-on-one chance. On the ball, he was too slow to get the ball out from the back but did play a nice long ball at the end that should have ended in a goal.

Dan Armer – 5.5 – Similarly, he was slow and ponderous on the ball as United lacked any urgency but did show quality at times to pick a pass through the lines. He made some good clearances in the box aerially but could have done better to defend the area for their goal and was troubled with quick breaks on the counter.

Diego Leon – 5 – Got into a number of good positions down the left wing and even tucked into midfield. But once he received the ball, his poor first touch often saw the openings closed and he lost his man at the back post for their goal.

Tyler Fletcher – 7 – One of United’s better performers on the night, he showed why he was awarded the Under-21s player of the season. His ability to cover ground and win physical duels was key to United controlling the midfield, particularly in the first half. On the ball, he also took charge, looking to switch the play quicker and linking the midfield.

Dan Gore – 7 – Back from an impressive loan spell, he slotted straight in with crisp passing through the lines and robust play across the middle.

Shea Lacey – 6 – An excellent final 10 minutes to the match where he twisted his marker inside and out as he went both ways and created a series of chances, but he waited until stoppage time to really turn it on despite having the beating of his man. Having been banging on the first team door all season, he needs to take more control of matches and force things earlier as he has the quality to do so.

Jack Fletcher – 6.5 – Looked the most likely to create throughout most of the match and popped up across the front line with good movement. He also was key to pressing on the front foot and combined well with the midfield, but the same connection with the attack was lacking.

James Scanlon – 5 – He did not create much in attack and Brighton often exposed his side to play out of United’s press.

Victor Musa – 5 – Broke free in behind their backline once but was unable to capitalise as they recovered and made the block. In total, he provided little presence as the centre forward and did not hold the ball up.

Substitutes

Chido Obi – 6 – Often did the hard work well but came up short when it came to finishing. Was served on a plate by Biancheri at the death, but his hesitancy in the box saw him go for an extra touch and lose control.

Godwill Kukonki – 6 – Kept it fairly simple on the ball and was not troubled defensively.

Jim Thwaites – 6.5 – He provided a couple of good deliveries into the box towards the end of the match.

Gabriele Biancheri – 6.5 – Provided the best movement from any of United’s attack near the end of the match with two great runs into the box, one of which led to him setting up Obi for a sitter.

Featured image Ben Roberts photo via Getty Images

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