Barclays U21 Premier League 2015: Monday Scores, Updated Table and Schedule

Manchester United put on an attacking clinic during Monday's Premier League under-21 action, beating Leicester City 6-1. Meanwhile, Arsenal earned a late 1-1 draw against West Ham United, which keeps the team in the running for the top spot in Group 2.

Not surprisingly, Nick Powell stole the show for United with a brace, and the talented forward could easily have scored even more goals. The Red Devils played arguably their best match of the season, a good sign heading into the festive period.

Here's a look at Monday's results, as well as the upcoming schedule:

Date	Home	Score	Away
Monday, Dec. 14	Norwich U21	0-2	Sunderland U21
Monday, Dec. 14	Everton U21	1-1	Tottenham U21
Monday, Dec. 14	Manchester United U21	6-1	Leicester U21
Monday, Dec. 14	Manchester City U21	3-1	Southampton U21
Monday, Dec. 14	West Brom U21	3-0	Swansea U21
Monday, Dec. 14	West Ham U21	1-1	Arsenal U21
Wednesday, Dec. 16	Reading U21	TBD	Middlesbrough U21
Sunday, Dec. 21	Arsenal U21	TBD	Aston Villa U21
Sunday, Dec. 21	Norwich U21	TBD	Liverpool U21
Sunday, Dec. 21	Chelsea U21	TBD	Middlesbrough U21
Monday, Dec. 22	Brighton U21	TBD	Fulham U21
Monday, Dec. 22	Manchester United U21	TBD	Manchester City U21

The current Under-21 Premier League standings:

Group 1	Team	PL	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Group 2	Team	PL	W	D	L	GD	PTS
1.	Sunderland U21	12	9	1	2	25:8	28
2.	Tottenham U21	11	5	3	3	25:21	18
3.	Reading U21	10	4	3	3	19:17	15
4.	Manchester City U21	8	4	2	2	17:13	14
5.	Everton U21	11	3	5	3	17:17	14
6.	Southampton U21	10	4	2	4	19:21	14
7.	Manchester United U21	6	4	1	1	14:7	13
8.	Middlesbrough U21	7	3	2	2	14:9	11
9.	Norwich U21	11	3	1	7	17:23	10
10.	Chelsea U21	8	2	2	4	13:16	8
11.	Leicester U21	11	2	2	7	15:34	8
12.	Liverpool U21	9	1	2	6	10:19	5
1.	Derby U21	12	7	1	4	25:16	22
2.	West Brom U21	11	6	4	1	14:6	22
3.	Arsenal U21	8	6	1	1	17:8	19
4.	Stoke City U21	13	6	1	6	14:12	19
5.	Aston Villa U21	12	5	3	4	13:17	18
6.	Blackburn U21	10	5	2	3	16:14	17
7.	West Ham U21	13	5	2	6	21:24	17
8.	Swansea U21	11	5	1	5	18:12	16
9.	Fulham U21	10	5	1	4	11:12	16
10.	Newcastle Utd U21	12	3	4	5	17:21	13
11.	Wolves U21	13	2	2	9	13:22	8
12.	Brighton U21	11	1	2	8	5:20	5

Recap

Manchester United delighted their fans with a fantastic attacking performance on Monday, cruising past a hapless Leicester City squad on their way to three points.

All eyes were on Powell, who looked solid with the senior team in limited time in recent weeks, and per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, he started on the right note:

The Red Devils started at a fantastic pace and quickly took the lead through Powell, who headed home a corner kick. Leicester City were completely overrun in midfield and had no answer for United's forwards, who did an excellent job in space and seemingly never stood still.

Devonte Redmond doubled the hosts' lead with a lovely strike from 20 yards out, but by that time, the Red Devils could realistically have led by four or five goals already.

Luckhurst was impressed:

James Weir made it 3-0, pushing home a rebound from close range and putting the half-time score on the board. Weir certainly made an impression, although Powell and defender Axel Tuanzebe stole the show.

Tuanzebe wasn't tested much, but he displayed supreme vision and positioning skills to snuff out the few attacks the Foxes managed to put together.

There was a slight scare early in the second half when Powell stayed down with an apparent injury, but he soon gave the bench the thumbs up and continued. Redmond soon added a fourth goal, calmly rounding the goalkeeper before slotting home, and Powell scored another powerful header after a blistering run from Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

The former Ajax man certainly put on a show:

Harry Panayiotou pulled one back for the visitors before substitute Marcus Rashford made it 6-1 with a thunderous strike. 

United sit pretty far back in the standings, but upon closer inspection, you'll notice they've only played six matches so far this season—half the amount league-leaders Sunderland have. If they keep playing the way they did on Monday, there's little doubt the Red Devils will find themselves near the top of the standings before long.

Arsenal find themselves in a similar position, having played three matches less than Derby County, and following the 1-1 draw against city-rivals West Ham, the Gunners remain on course for the Group 2 title and promotion back to Group 1.

Alex Pike gave the Hammers the lead just before half-time, slotting the ball home in the bottom corner after a momentary lapse in concentration from the Gunners.

Arsenal's under-21 side has struggled for consistency at times this season, and Monday's match was no different. On three occasions, West Ham had goals disallowed, and barring a strong effort from Donyell Malen, the Gunners failed to create much danger during the first 60 minutes.

Reece Oxford was one of the standout performers for West Ham, once again showing why he's regarded as one of the top young talents in England.

The club's official Twitter account shared this photo of one of his many tackles:

The Gunners improved as the second half went on, however, and Chris Willock eventually found an equaliser with a superb individual action. Speeding down the left wing, he cut inside before unleashing a powerful shot no goalkeeper would have stopped.

Other notable results from Monday include Manchester City's 3-1 win over Southampton, which moves the club back into fourth palace in Group 1, and Sunderland's 2-0 triumph over Norwich City. The Black Cats have been in sensational form all year long, and it doesn't look as if they'll slow down anytime soon.  

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