2016 Barclays Premier League 2: Friday U23 Result, Latest Table and Schedule
Manchester City continued their perfect start to the 2016-17 Barclays Premier League 2 campaign, beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium thanks to a goal from Rodney Kongolo.
The Citizens fielded a remarkably young team, averaging out just over 18 years old, but they still dominated the Gunners in the first half and held on to their slim lead after the break. After two matches, Arsenal have yet to score.
Here's a look at the latest Group 1 standings:
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| 1. | Manchester City U23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4:2 | 6 |
| 2. | Southampton U23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 3 |
| 3. | Everton U23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
| 4. | Reading U23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
| 5. | Manchester United U23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
| 6. | Chelsea U23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
| 7. | Sunderland U23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
| 8. | Derby U23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
| 9. | Leicester U23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
| 10. | Tottenham U23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
| 11. | Liverpool U23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
| 12. | Arsenal U23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0:3 | 0 |
The upcoming schedule:
| Monday, August 22 | 2 p.m. BST | Reading U23 | Tottenham U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 5 p.m. BST | Norwich U23 | Stoke City U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | Blackburn U23 | Middlesbrough U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | Brighton U23 | Aston Villa U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | Everton U23 | Derby U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | Leicester U23 | Sunderland U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | Southampton U23 | Manchester United U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | West Brom U23 | Fulham U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | West Ham U23 | Newcastle Utd U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7 p.m. BST | Wolves U23 | Swansea U23 |
| Monday, August 22 | 7:05 p.m. BST | Chelsea U23 | Liverpool U23 |
Recap
While Friday's fixture was one of the top matches the Citizens will play this early in the season, fans didn't exactly turn up in numbers, as shared by Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News:
Both teams struggled in the early going, with Arsenal's Chris Willock and Javairo Dilrosun of City standing out for their efforts out wide. The midfield battle was sloppy, however, and maintaining possession proved difficult.
Isaac Buckley did his best to beat offside traps and the Gunners' defence struggled with some of City's runs, but City's best chance early came courtesy of a set piece, as Matt Macey failed to hold on to a high cross. Luckily for him, the ball was cleared in time.
Macey's struggles with high balls continued as City pressed for an opener, but the stopper redeemed himself with a nice save on Dilrosun. Paolo Fernandes also went close, but once again, Macey was there to make the stop.
Aaron Nemane, one of just two City players age 20 or older, proved a handful for the Gunners, and his work played a big role for Kongolo's opener, via Simon Bajkowski:
Fernandes tested Macy's reflexes with another hard drive shortly before half-time, and Ismael Bennacer missed a chance for the visitors.
The second half nearly started in disastrous fashion for the Gunners, as Macey had to produce a fine stop to deny an own-goal. Bennacer drew a save from Billy O’Brien just as the rain started to pour down, and the changing conditions didn't help either team.
Stephy Mavididi found space for a shot but couldn't connect fully, before Glenn Kamara earned a booking with a tackle on Kongolo.
Arsenal tried to press for a late winner but couldn't create any danger in the second half, and the young Citizens easily held on to their lead, grabbing the top spot in the Group 1 standings in the process. After two matches, the Gunners find themselves in last place.
