Barclays Under-21 Premier League 2015 Table: Standings and Results on Feb. 23
The Manchester United under-21s stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Monday to jeopardise their place atop Division 1 in the U21 Professional Development League.
Southampton failed to make the most of the Red Devils' mistake after seeing out a 0-0 stalemate at home against Tottenham Hotspur, but the Saints do move into the second spot as a result of their point.
In Division 2, leaders West Bromwich Albion kept their pace at the summit thanks to a 3-2 victory over Bolton Wanderers, while Middlesbrough climbed up to second with their 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Read on for a discussion of all of Monday's fixtures and a look at how they affect the under-21 standings.
| Southampton | 0-0 | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| Sunderland | 1-1 | Manchester United | |
| West Brom | 3-2 | Bolton Wanderers | |
| Blackburn Rovers | 0-1 | Middlesbrough | |
| Wolves | 2-2 | Newcastle United |
| 1 | Manchester Uni… | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 23 |
| 2 | Southampton U21 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 22 |
| 3 | Chelsea U21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 16 | +9 | 21 |
| 4 | Everton U21 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 20 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hots… | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 20 |
| 6 | Liverpool U21 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 17 |
| 7 | Manchester Cit… | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 24 | +0 | 17 |
| 8 | Norwich City U21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 16 |
| 9 | Fulham U21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 16 |
| 10 | Sunderland U21 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 18 | -5 | 16 |
| 11 | Leicester City U21 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 22 | -4 | 13 |
| 12 | West Ham Unite… | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 24 | -12 | 11 |
| 1 | West Bromwich … | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 17 | +11 | 26 |
| 2 | Middlesbrough U21 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 26 |
| 3 | Newcastle Unit… | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 22 | +12 | 25 |
| 4 | Derby County U21 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 17 | +11 | 24 |
| 5 | Arsenal U21 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 12 | +11 | 24 |
| 6 | Reading U21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 26 | -1 | 20 |
| 7 | Bolton Wandere… | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 23 | 23 | +0 | 19 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hov… | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 12 |
| 9 | Stoke City U21 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 28 | -12 | 12 |
| 10 | Aston Villa U21 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 29 | -17 | 12 |
| 11 | Blackburn Rove… | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 23 | -6 | 10 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton U21 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 24 | -7 | 10 |
Recap
Chelsea will have the opportunity to retake Division 1's perch as their own following Manchester United's slip-up on Monday, when a second-half red card for defender Tyler Blackett meant the Red Devils struggled to emerge as victors.
Midfielder Andreas Pereira opened the scoring for Warren Joyce's men, per David Lynch of the Manchester Evening News, blasting the ball home following a scramble in the Black Cats' area:
"#MUFC ahead. Weir hits the top of the bar then the keeper before Pereira follows in and absolutely smashes it home. 1-0!
— David Lynch (@DavidLynchMEN) February 23, 2015"
Pereira's strike comes in the same week that he received high praise from first-team star Ander Herrera, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst, as saying the Belgian native is certainly one to watch:
Forward Mikael Mandron equalised before the half was out, and while United may have been hopeful of a win, Blackett's sending-off effectively stopped the side from clinching a second.
The other Division 1 fixture on Monday evening saw Southampton and Tottenham share the spoils after a tense and tetchy encounter at St. Mary's, per the Saints' official Twitter account:
Spurs remain lodged in fifth, but a point is good enough to see Southampton above Chelsea and into second place, however temporary the rise may be.
In the second tier, the West Brom under-21s took their unbeaten streak to nine in the league with a 3-2 triumph over Bolton, where defender Wez Atkinson volleyed home an 81st-minute winner for the Baggies.
Speaking to West Brom's official website after the result, Anderson said:
"I am really happy to have scored the winner. I can’t really remember what happened, I think the ball just dropped perfectly for me and I just spanked it home with my left foot. I don’t really score many, I am usually a one goal a season man.It is great to go nine games unbeaten in the league, and something which we are proud of as players. We spoke before the game about wanting to keep the run going. We have drawn the last few games and we have missed the chance to go top, so to finally move into first place is a great feeling."
West Brom came into this fixture with a two-point lead at the top of the division, but Newcastle United's 2-2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers helps them take that cushion to three points.
That's after Middlesbrough took their third win in five with a 1-0 victory at Blackburn, taking them to within touching distance of the table toppers.
