Barclays U21 Premier League 2016: Monday Scores, Latest Standings and Fixtures

Manchester United continued their strong run in the 2015-16 Under-21 Premier League campaign on Monday, beating Reading 1-0 thanks to an own goal from the visitors.

James Weir fired a shot off the post in the second half, and in the confusion that followed, the ball came off a Reading leg before finding the net.  

Manchester City lost 1-0 at Leicester City, allowing Everton to pass them in the Group 1 standings with a 3-1 defeat of Southampton. Arsenal's match against Swansea City was postponed, as the Gunners' under-18 squad took on Coventry City in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup.

Here's a look at Monday's results:

Everton	3-1	Southampton
Leicester City	1-0	Manchester City
Manchester United	1-0	Reading
Sunderland	3-2	Middlesbrough
Swansea	Postponed	Arsenal
WBA	1-1	Fulham

The latest Under-21 Premier League standings:

Group 1	Team	PL	W	D	L	G	Pts
Group 2	Team	PL	W	D	L	G	Pts
1.	Manchester United U21	14	11	1	2	34:11	34
2.	Sunderland U21	15	10	2	3	28:11	32
3.	Everton U21	14	6	5	3	23:18	23
4.	Manchester City U21	14	6	3	5	25:19	21
5.	Reading U21	16	6	3	7	25:28	21
6.	Tottenham U21	16	5	5	6	33:34	20
7.	Chelsea U21	11	4	3	4	19:20	15
8.	Liverpool U21	14	4	3	7	16:23	15
9.	Southampton U21	14	4	3	7	22:31	15
10.	Middlesbrough U21	12	3	4	5	20:18	13
11.	Norwich U21	14	3	3	8	18:31	12
12.	Leicester U21	14	3	3	8	17:36	12
1.	Derby U21	16	10	2	4	34:20	32
2.	Arsenal U21	14	9	3	2	29:15	30
3.	Aston Villa U21	16	8	4	4	19:20	28
4.	West Brom U21	16	6	8	2	19:13	26
5.	Stoke City U21	17	8	1	8	19:19	25
6.	West Ham U21	17	7	3	7	28:28	24
7.	Swansea U21	13	6	2	5	20:13	20
8.	Fulham U21	15	5	4	6	17:21	19
9.	Blackburn U21	12	5	2	5	18:18	17
10.	Newcastle Utd U21	16	4	5	7	23:28	17
11.	Wolves U21	16	2	3	11	16:27	9
12.	Brighton U21	16	1	5	10	9:29	8

Recap

Reading didn't make life easy on the Red Devils, but the Group 1 leaders pulled through in the second half of Monday's match to keep their lead at the top of the standings alive.

United made the bold decision to shift to a new formation, emulating the senior side with a three-man back line. For a team that has looked sensational in the attacking third of late, it was a risky move but one that could help a handful of prospects prepare for a step up to the first team soon.

Unfortunately, a change in formation will always have repercussions, and Monday's outing was no different. The Red Devils looked disjointed and uninspired during the first half, a shadow of the team that appears headed for the Group 1 title. The Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst was not impressed:

With Adnan Januzaj not playing on the right wing, Sadiq El Fitouri received the chance to impress, and the 21-year-old failed to provide the spark his Belgian predecessor did in the last few weeks.

With little movement out wide, United failed to create much, and the first real chance of the match fell to Reading's Jack Stacey, who fired wide. Matty Willock provided most of the danger for United, testing Reading stopper Stuart Moore with a hard shot.

Ro-Shaun Williams nearly handed the visitors the lead on a platter, playing an awful pass that allowed Reading to break before Joe Riley inexplicably missed United's best chance of the half, blasting the ball over the cross bar from close range.

At half-time, the Manchester Evening News' Twitter account designated for United couldn't help but take a shot at Louis van Gaal, the man in charge of the senior team:

United attacked with more verve in the second half, and Willock came close to opening the score, drawing a fine save from Moore. Willock's team-mate Weir eventually broke the deadlock, with the ball crossing the line after his initial shot hit the post.

Per Base Soccer's Doron Salomon, the ball came off a defender, and officials later changed the goal to an own goal from the visitors:

"

United make the breakthrough, Weir hit the post initially and the rebound hits a Reading defender and goes in. Great run forward by Riley.

— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) February 15, 2016"

The goal seemed to wake United up, and the hosts started showing exactly why they lead the Group 1 standings. Marcus Rashford and Weir both came close to scoring but failed to hit the target from promising positions.

Some late pressure from Reading led to nothing, as United's defenders put together a strong showing in the second half and Joel Pereira looked excellent in goal.

Joe Dodoo scored the only goal in Leicester City's 1-0 win over Manchester City, a big setback for the Citizens, whose title bid seems to be over at this point. Sunderland remain United's closest competition, and they beat Middlesbrough 3-2 on Monday.

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