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Manchester United u18s hosted Nottingham Forest at Carrington on Saturday afternoon in league action.
The line-up had fans excited with Chido Obi-Martin making his first start for the club and Shea Lacey making his first start of the season.
The excitement for the new signing from Arsenal proved warranted when he opened the scoring a mere 11 seconds into the match.
United pressed from the whistle, forcing Forest back and back from the kick-off until a loose back pass from the centre back sent Obi-Martin through on goal to round the keeper and slot into the open net.
As if the striker’s day couldn’t start any better, he bagged his second just four minutes later. Jayce Fitzgerald got forward from right back to deliver a low cross that was stabbed away to Obi-Martin prowling at the edge of the box to control and fire into the bottom left corner.
Still within the opening 10 minutes, another failed clearance, this time from Lacey’s cross, fell to Jim Thwaites to shoot just wide of the left post from 20 yards out.
United made it 3-0 in the 14th minute through none other than Obi-Martin for his hat-trick. A sensational Paul Scholes-esque pass from Thwaites set Scanlon free down the left wing to cut back to Obi-Martin for an easy finish off his left boot.
Thwaites was spreading the ball around in style with another finding Amir Ibragimov on the right wing, who was taken out as he cut in but the ball laid up nicely for Lacey to strike towards the far corner which was tipped around the post for a corner.
Thwaites was pulling the strings as he ventured forward, overlapping on the left side of the box to cross for Ibragimov at the back post, who headed wide. But knew he should have scored as he ran off in frustration afterwards.
Four minutes later, United’s press was causing all sorts of issues for Forest with United winning the ball before Obi-Martin laid off to Ibragimov to strike towards the top right corner that was only kept out by a top save from Keehan Willows.
Into the 40th minute, space opened up inside for Scanlon to cut in form the left wing towards the box to strike hard and low from over 20 yards out that caught the keeper wrong footed as he could only stand and watch it hit the back of the net.
United made it 5-0 just before the half time whistle. Ibragimov got a well deserved goal after coming close on a number of occasions already. Obi-Martin’s cross caused confusion in the Forest defence as they failed to clear, allowing Ibragimov to stab an effort towards goal that ricocheted off the keeper and Ibragimov before bouncing into the goal.
In cruise control, Adam Lawrence made wholesale changes at the break with hat-trick hero Obi Martin, Dan Armer, and Jayce Fitzgerald exiting for Victor Musa, Albert Mills, and James Bailey.
The second half saw United lower the tempo and take the sting out of the match but there was still time for a moment of quality from Thwaites to cap of a sensational performance from the midfielder.
The winner of last season’s u16s and u18s goal of the season, Thwaites scored a free kick from 30 yards straight into the top left corner to give United the 6-0 win.
The three points moves United to the top of the table as they continue their perfect record of seven wins from seven.
United: Byrne-Hughes, Fitzgerald (Bailey 46), Armer (Mills 46), Munro, Plunkett, T. Fletcher, Thwaites, Lacey (Lusale 56), Ibragimov, Scanlon, Obi-Martin (Musa 46)
Unused subs: Murdock
