Barclays Under-21 Premier League 2015 Table: Updated Outlook, Results on March 9
Liverpool's Harry Wilson scored a last-minute wonder goal to settle the mini-Derby against Everton on Monday night.
Elsewhere, Southampton's youngsters missed a major opportunity to take top spot in Division 1 of the Under-21 Development League following their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Norwich City.
A win would have seen the Saints leapfrog the Manchester United Under-21s and take the summit as their own, but they instead remain a single point off the Red Devils and Tottenham Hotspur in second.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, extended their lead at the head of Division 2 to five points thanks to a 3-1 triumph against fellow promotion contenders West Bromwich Albion.
Boro's Under-21s travelled to the West Midlands two points clear of Derby County, but with the Rams not in action until Tuesday evening, the north-east outfit can breathe easy for now.
Read on for recap of Monday's action and a reaction to this week's early results.
| Home | Result | Away |
| Norwich City | 2-0 | Southampton |
| Liverpool | 2-1 | Everton |
| Sunderland | 3-0 | West Ham United |
| Home | Result | Away |
| West Brom | 1-3 | Middlesbrough |
| Newcastle United | 1-1 | Stoke City |
| Wolves | 1-1 | Brighton |
| Bolton Wanderers | 0-2 | Aston Villa |
| 1 | Manchester Uni… | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 23 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hots… | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 14 | +7 | 23 |
| 3 | Liverpool U21 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 23 |
| 4 | Southampton U21 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 24 | +0 | 22 |
| 5 | Chelsea U21 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 25 | 19 | +6 | 21 |
| 6 | Manchester Cit… | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 25 | +2 | 20 |
| 7 | Everton U21 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 23 | +0 | 20 |
| 8 | Leicester City U21 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 23 | -1 | 19 |
| 9 | Norwich City U21 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 19 |
| 10 | Sunderland U21 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 19 |
| 11 | Fulham U21 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 29 | -9 | 16 |
| 12 | West Ham Unite… | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 27 | -15 | 11 |
| 1 | Middlesbrough U21 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 16 | +8 | 32 |
| 2 | Derby County U21 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 18 | +12 | 27 |
| 3 | Newcastle Unit… | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 23 | +12 | 26 |
| 4 | West Bromwich … | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 20 | +9 | 26 |
| 5 | Arsenal U21 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 12 | +11 | 24 |
| 6 | Reading U21 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 27 | +0 | 23 |
| 7 | Bolton Wandere… | 17 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 25 | -2 | 19 |
| 8 | Aston Villa U21 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 29 | -15 | 15 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hov… | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 20 | -8 | 14 |
| 10 | Stoke City U21 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 29 | -12 | 13 |
| 11 | Blackburn Rove… | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 25 | -7 | 11 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton U21 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 11 |
Monday Recap
A fifth defeat of the 2014-15 campaign saw Southampton let slip a golden opportunity to retake the Division 1 summit on Monday, with strikers Jamar Loza and Carlton Morris netting either side of the break for Norwich City.
Speaking to the Saints' official website after the result, Southampton under-21 technical director Martin Hunter admitted his side didn't deserve the points, proclaiming:
"We were poor today – we never got going. The first half was difficult, but we mentioned that in the warm-up that it’s a particularly lively pitch and a very, very gusty wind and they adapted far better than we did.
It’s always difficult and again – my gramophone record – it’s our mistakes. It’s a poor clearance that’s been intercepted and they’ve obviously scored from that, and at under-21 level, never mind first-team level, if you make mistakes you’ll get punished. It’s an opportunity missed. We’ll have to see at the end of this week how much damage that’s done us. It’s more the manner of how we’ve got beat than the league position, that’s my main concern.
"
For Norwich, the three points mean a lifeline in their fight against relegation and sees the club move away from the bottom two—now three points off of the drop zone.
There was a mini-Merseyside derby to enjoy on Monday evening, too, as the Everton Under-21s made the short trip to face their Liverpool counterparts. Starlet Ryan Ledson rocked the Reds upon opening the scoring in the second period, per the Toffees' official Twitter account:
Centre-back Daniel Cleary struck late on to hand Everton a setback in their hopes of an away win, but it quickly went from bad to worse for the Blues.
In the 93rd minute, winger Harry Wilson latched on to the ball deep behind enemy lines to seal Liverpool's comeback, giving the Reds a vital three points and pushing them level on points with leaders United:
"93' GOAL. Liverpool U21s 2-1 Everton U21s. It's heartbreak for the Blues. Sub Harry Wilson beats Russell Griffiths with just seconds to go.
— Everton (@Everton) March 9, 2015"
Sunderland triumphed over West Ham United 3-0 in Monday's remaining Division 1 fixture, a result that keeps the Hammers cemented to the bottom of the standings while the Black Cats edge away from the foot of the table.
In Division 2, forward Bradley Fewster was the star of the show for Middlesbrough as they helped themselves to a 3-1 win away at West Brom, earning a five-point cushion at the table's summit. West Brom's official Twitter account confirmed the result:
The home teams of the second division went 0-for-4 on Monday evening, too, as Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers each surrendered points to their opponents.
The Trotters gave up a 2-0 result to Aston Villa, while Newcastle and Wolves each drew 1-1 at home to Stoke City and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively.
