2017 Premier League 2: Friday's U23 Results, Latest Rankings and Schedule
Manchester City were prevented from taking the lead in Division 1 of the Premier League 2 after Tottenham Hotspur fought back from two goals behind to snatch a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Shilow Tracey and Nathan Oduwa.
Jadon Sancho and Paolo Fernandes drove the Citizens into a comfortable lead soon after the half-time break, but the travelling outfit capitalised on their complacency to seal their third 2-2 draw in four matches.
Elsewehere, Mukhtar Ali bagged a brace for Chelsea as the Blues bounced back to winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Leicester City, where Dominic Solanke was also on the scoresheet.
Hosts Leicester conceded either side of half-time through an Ali spot-kick, followed by Darnell Johnson's own goal in the 50th minute, but two goals in the last five minutes of the clash saw Chelsea through to a confident win.
That win kept Chelsea fourth in the under-23 development league and moved them to within a point of third-placed Liverpool, while the Foxes moved into the bottom two after seeing their goal difference hurt.
Read on for a roundup of Friday's Premier League 2 entertainment, complete with a look at the updated standings and Saturday's upcoming schedule.
| Leicester City | 0-4 | Chelsea |
| Manchester City | 2-2 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1 | Everton U23 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 29 | 10 | +19 | 29 |
| 2 | Manchester Cit… | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 28 |
| 3 | Liverpool U23 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 26 | 15 | +11 | 23 |
| 4 | Chelsea U23 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 22 |
| 5 | Arsenal U23 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 18 | +1 | 19 |
| 6 | Sunderland U23 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 19 |
| 7 | Southampton U23 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 22 | -5 | 15 |
| 8 | Reading U23 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 30 | -7 | 14 |
| 9 | Manchester Uni… | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 20 | -7 | 14 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hots… | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 27 | -8 | 13 |
| 11 | Leicester City U23 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 28 | -11 | 12 |
| 12 | Derby County U23 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 27 | -12 | 9 |
| Fixture | Time |
| Stoke City vs. West Bromwich Albion | 2 p.m. GMT/9 a.m. ET |
Recap
Oduwa and Tracey came to Tottenham's rescue as the team sat 10th in Division 1 toppled second in the table and extended the north Londoners' unbeaten run to four matches for the first time this season.
The two teams saw out a goalless first half at City's Academy Stadium, where it was the hosts' Elite Development Squad who looked more capable of nabbing three points for long stretches.
And City seemed destined to move above Everton and into the Premier League 2 lead when Sancho and Fernandes scored in the 46th and 56th minutes, respectively. The latter also extended his run as the division's top scorer after bagging his 10th goal of the season.
However, two lapses in judgement among the Manchester City defence saw them concede twice in the final 15 minutes of the clash and drop two points, while Spurs hinted it was they who may have even stole the spoils:
After a rough start to the 2016-17 campaign, Spurs are starting to show some grit in their performances and will be boosted to have come back from such a hopeless situation in Manchester.
The Citizens, meanwhile, may be forced to look back on this as a result that could damage their chances at the title, particularly as it falls not long after their 3-1 hammering of rivals Manchester United on Monday.
Chelsea travelled to St. George's Park on Friday having failed to win in their last three games across all competitions, drawing 2-2 at Tottenham last Friday following back-to-back losses in the Premier League International Cup.
It was a tetchy start for both teams in Friday's opening Premier League 2 fixture, but midfielder Ali helped steady the nerves when he tucked away a penalty in the 35th minute to get his first of the day.
Leicester stood a chance of making their way back into the match with a second-half reply, but Johnson's own goal five minutes after the restart meant the centre-back's side were set back, 2-0.
Chelsea laboured in finding their third, and it wasn't until Ali was quickest to react in front of goal and see the west Londoners into an unassailable lead, as noted by Chelsea Youth:
Blues No. 1 Bradley Collins was tested as the home outfit sought a consolatory strike, but Solanke's bullet in the 91st minute, scything past two defenders before fizzing in a fourth, helped the guests complete a deserved rout.
Chelsea sit just a point below Liverpool in third, but the Reds have the virtue of having played two more games than their west London peers and can still hope to challenge for the Premier League 2 lead.
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