Barclays U21 Premier League 2016: Monday Scores, Latest Table, Updated Fixtures
Manchester United closed the gap at the top of the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Division 1, beating leaders Sunderland 1-0 in the north-west.
A James Weir goal was enough for the Red Devils, who claimed their eighth win from 10 this season. United's team featured Adnan Januzaj and Andreas Pereira, who bossed proceedings as the contest progressed.
The success takes United within three points of the Black Cats, who have dominated at the summit of the league this term after collecting 28 points from their 13 matches.
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Liverpool impressively beat Tottenham Hotspur in their match on Monday night, winning 2-0 with a goal in each half.
The much-needed victory offers the Reds hope as they battle relegation, but they remain second to bottom in Division 1.
Here are all of the results from both under-21 divisions in England, including updated standings and forthcoming matches:
| Leicester City U21 | 1-1 | Middlesbrough U21 |
| Brighton and Hove Albion U21 | 0-0 | West Bromwich Albion U21 |
| Manchester United U21 | 1-0 | Sunderland U21 |
| Newcastle United U21 | 1-3 | Derby County U21 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 | 2-3 | Aston Villa U21 |
| Liverpool U21 | 2-0 | Tottenham Hotspur U21 |
| POS | CLUB | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Sunderland U21 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 28 |
| 2 | Man Utd U21 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
| 3 | Spurs U21 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 32 | 33 | -1 | 19 |
| 4 | Man City U21 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 18 |
| 5 | Reading U21 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 25 | -1 | 18 |
| 6 | Everton U21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 17 |
| 7 | Chelsea U21 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 14 |
| 8 | Southampton U21 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 20 | 27 | -7 | 14 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough U21 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 13 |
| 10 | Norwich U21 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 24 | -6 | 12 |
| 11 | Liverpool U21 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 12 |
| 12 | Leicester U21 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 35 | -19 | 9 |
| POS | CLUB | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Derby U21 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 18 | 13 | 28 |
| 2 | Aston Villa U21 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 20 | -2 | 25 |
| 3 | Arsenal U21 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 24 |
| 4 | West Brom U21 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 24 |
| 5 | West Ham U21 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 23 |
| 6 | Stoke U21 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 19 |
| 7 | Swansea U21 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 17 |
| 8 | Blackburn U21 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 17 |
| 9 | Fulham U21 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 17 |
| 10 | Newcastle U21 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 24 | -6 | 14 |
| 11 | Wolves U21 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 8 |
| 12 | Brighton U21 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 25 | -17 | 7 |
| Jan. 28 | 1 p.m. | Aston Villa U21 vs. Fulham U21 |
| Jan. 29 | 12 p.m. | West Bromwich Albion U21 vs. Newcastle United U21 |
| Jan. 30 | 2 p.m. | Stoke City U21 vs. Arsenal U21 |
| Jan. 31 | 11.45 p.m. | Sunderland U21 vs. Chelsea U21 |
| Jan. 31 | 2 p.m. | Liverpool U21 vs. Reading U21 |
Monday Recap
Manchester United defeated Sunderland by the slimmest of margins on Monday night, but the win by a solitary goal was enough to bag the three points on offer.
A tight and controlled first half suffocated much of the creative play on the field, as neither of the division's top sides wanted to give territory or possession away.
The match had to wait until the 69th minute to see a goal, with highly rated attacking midfielder Weir breaking the deadlock as United pushed for the win.
The former Preston North End junior has sparkled this term as captain, continuing his excellent performance level from last year into 2016.
United blogger Doron Salomon passed comment about the important victory:
Liverpool dealt with the threat of Spurs with control and efficiency on Monday, beating their opponents 2-0.
Ryan Kent scored the Reds first goal after just 13 minutes as Liverpool took control. The scoreline was doubled by English teenager Jerome Sinclair, who secured the points shortly before the hour-mark.
Liverpool had Kevin Stewart sent-off in the last closing period of the game, but Spurs could not exploit their numerical advantage.
Newcastle United and Derby County played out a four-goal thriller in the north-east, as the visitors sealed a 3-1 victory.
The Rams were two goals up after just seven minutes as they put the hosts to the sword.
Talented 19-year-old Charles Vernam grabbed the opening strike in the first minute of play, and it was 2-0 six minutes later, as prodigious forward Timi Elsnik added his name to the scoresheet.
Hotly tipped Lewis McNall pulled one back for the Magpies on the stroke of half-time, but Derby re-established their two-goal cushion with an effort by Spaniard Ivan Calero.
Aston Villa believed they had edged the Midlands derby against Wolverhampton Wanderers, leading 2-1 in the final three minutes before a last-gasp equaliser. However, Villa promptly attacked before the final whistle was blown, miraculously adding a third to break Wolves hearts.
A penalty from Jack Grealish got Villa on the front foot in the first half, but Wolves quickly levelled the score through Bright Enobakhare.
Villa thought the winner had come from Jerell Sellars—13 minutes from the final whistle—but a Tommy Rowe goal at the end of the match appeared to have earned the hosts a share of the spoils.
However, there was still time for Sellars to grab a dramatic winner in the first minute of stoppage time, as Villa ran out 3-2 victors.
Division 1 basement side Leicester City earned a rare point at the bottom of the table, drawing 1-1 with Middlesbrough. Midfielder Thomas McAloon scored the opener for the Boro midway through the first half, but a goal nine minutes from time by Joe Dodoo saved the day for the Foxes.
Brighton and Hove Albion and West Bromwich Albion played out a goalless draw on the south coast, leaving the Seagulls rooted to the bottom of Division 2.
United have seen a number of their games delayed from earlier in the season, but they are now on a roll and will feel they can catch Sunderland.
The Black Cats smashed their way to the top of the league, taking advantage of their games at the start of the campaign, but they couldn't score against United when they desperately needed to keep the distance between themselves and their nearest league rivals.
