2016 Premier League 2: Monday's U23 Scores, Updated Rankings, Fixtures
Liverpool used a blistering opening 10 minutes to grab a 6-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur during Monday's Premier League 2 action, while Arsenal suffered yet another embarrassing defeat, this time at the hands of Everton.
The Reds scored three goals in the first eight minutes and cruised to the win from that point, while Arsenal imploded in the second half of their match. Manchester United found a late winner through Scott McTominay to beat Derby County, and Reading beat Chelsea 2-1.
Here's a look at Monday's results:
| Arsenal U23 | 0 - 5 | Everton U23 |
| Aston Villa U23 | 2 - 5 | West Bromwich Albion U23 |
| Brighton and Hove Albion U23 | 1 - 2 | Newcastle United U23 |
| Manchester United U23 | 3 - 2 | Derby U23 |
| Norwich City U23 | 0 - 2 | West Ham United U23 |
| Southampton U23 | 2 - 2 | Leicester City U23 |
| Swansea City U23 | 2 - 1 | Blackburn Rovers U23 |
| Tottenham U23 | 2 - 6 | Liverpool U23 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers U23 | 2 - 1 | Middlesbrough U23 |
| Reading U23 | 2 - 1 | Chelsea U23 |
The current Premier League 2 standings:
| 1. | Everton U23 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13:2 | 12 |
| 2. | Southampton U23 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11:7 | 10 |
| 3. | Manchester City U23 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11:8 | 10 |
| 4. | Sunderland U23 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10:7 | 10 |
| 5. | Liverpool U23 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15:11 | 9 |
| 6. | Reading U23 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9:10 | 9 |
| 7. | Chelsea U23 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10:6 | 8 |
| 8. | Manchester United U23 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6:6 | 8 |
| 9. | Tottenham U23 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9:13 | 6 |
| 10. | Arsenal U23 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4:12 | 3 |
| 11. | Leicester U23 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5:14 | 1 |
| 12. | Derby U23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6:13 | 0 |
| 1. | Swansea U23 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 10:6 | 12 |
| 2. | West Ham U23 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10:5 | 10 |
| 3. | Wolves U23 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11:8 | 10 |
| 4. | Fulham U23 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7:4 | 9 |
| 5. | West Brom U23 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9:7 | 9 |
| 6. | Middlesbrough U23 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5:4 | 8 |
| 7. | Blackburn U23 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4:3 | 7 |
| 8. | Newcastle Utd U23 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7:9 | 7 |
| 9. | Brighton U23 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3:4 | 5 |
| 10. | Aston Villa U23 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7:10 | 4 |
| 11. | Stoke City U23 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3:7 | 4 |
| 12. | Norwich U23 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10:6 | 0 |
Here's a look at the upcoming schedule:
| Sept. 23 | Manchester City U23 | Leicester U23 |
| Sept. 23 | Southampton U23 | Tottenham U23 |
| Sept. 23 | Chelsea U23 | Arsenal U23 |
| Sept. 25 | Liverpool U23 | Sunderland U23 |
| Sept. 26 | Blackburn U23 | Wolves U23 |
| Sept. 26 | Derby U23 | Reading U23 |
| Sept. 26 | Everton U23 | Manchester United U23 |
| Sept. 26 | Fulham U23 | Norwich U23 |
| Sept. 26 | Middlesbrough U23 | Aston Villa U23 |
| Sept. 26 | Newcastle Utd U23 | Swansea U23 |
| Sept. 26 | West Brom U23 | Stoke City U23 |
| Sept. 26 | West Ham U23 | Brighton U23 |
Recap
It took the Reds just eight minutes to jump out to a three-goal lead against Spurs in a wild and wacky match, with Harry Wilson, Ben Woodburn and Cameron Brannagan giving the visitors the advantage.
Liverpool blogger Dave O'Connell noticed the Reds' under-23 side wasn't even at full strength compared to the last few weeks, with Danny Ings not starting:
Trent Alexander-Arnold added a fourth goal before half-time, and the Reds appeared to be cruising to a an easy win. Spurs' Marcus Edwards returned some of the excitement to the contest, but only briefly, as Brannagan bagged a second goal and Brooks Lennon increased the Reds' lead even further.
Tottenham's Ryan Loft completed the crazy scoreline from the penalty spot in injury time. The win is Liverpool's third in a row, and after a poor start to the Premier League 2 campaign, the Reds now find themselves in fifth place in Group 1.
Arsenal's horror start to the campaign continued against Everton, as the Gunners collapsed in the second half, losing 5-0. Kieran Dowell opened the scoring for the visitors early, per the team's official Twitter account:
The Gunners held their own before the break, but the defence lost the plot in the second half, allowing four more goals. Liam Walsh and Oumar Niasse all but secured the win, and a brace from substitute Calum Dyson made it 5-0.
Manchester United secured a late win over Derby, with McTominay playing a crucial role. The young midfielder opened the score and scored a late winner, after his first goal and Josh Harrop's penalty were nullified by a Charles Vernam brace.
Chelsea suffered their first loss of the season against Reading, despite taking the lead through an Ike Ugbo header. Tyler Frost deservedly tied things up after the break, and Sam Smith used his strength to beat a defender and find a late winner.
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