2017 Premier League 2: Monday's U23 Results, Latest Tables and Updated Fixtures
Group 1 leaders Everton maintained their strong 2016-17 Premier League 2 form Monday, as they beat Manchester United 3-1.
The Red Devils started the match with several top stars including Eric Bailly, who was subbed off with a knock in the second half.
Manchester City drew 3-3 at Leicester City, meaning Everton increased their Group 1 lead. Tottenham Hotspur easily beat Southampton.
Here's a look at Monday's results:
| Fulham U23 | 2 - 1 | Swansea U23 |
| Leicester U23 | 3 - 3 | Manchester City U23 |
| Manchester United U23 | 1 - 3 | Everton U23 |
| Middlesbrough U23 | 2 - 2 | Stoke City U23 |
| Newcastle Utd U23 | 0 - 0 | Wolves U23 |
| Reading U23 | 3 - 3 | Derby U23 |
| Tottenham U23 | 3 - 1 | Southampton U23 |
The current Premier League 2 standings:
| Everton U23 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 35:11 | 35 |
| Manchester City U23 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 30:20 | 29 |
| Liverpool U23 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 26:16 | 24 |
| Chelsea U23 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 28:18 | 22 |
| Arsenal U23 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 22:19 | 22 |
| Sunderland U23 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 19:20 | 21 |
| Manchester United U23 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 15:23 | 17 |
| Tottenham U23 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 22:28 | 16 |
| Southampton U23 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 19:28 | 15 |
| Reading U23 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 26:36 | 15 |
| Leicester U23 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 20:31 | 13 |
| Derby U23 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 18:30 | 11 |
| Swansea U23 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 32:18 | 39 |
| Fulham U23 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 33:20 | 29 |
| Newcastle Utd U23 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 26:25 | 27 |
| Wolves U23 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 27:21 | 26 |
| West Ham U23 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 23:20 | 25 |
| Aston Villa U23 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 29:27 | 20 |
| Blackburn U23 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 14:19 | 19 |
| West Brom U23 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 19:19 | 18 |
| Brighton U23 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 12:16 | 18 |
| Middlesbrough U23 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 14:23 | 12 |
| Norwich U23 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 13:25 | 12 |
| Stoke City U23 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16:25 | 10 |
Here's a look at the upcoming fixtures:
| Feb. 3 | Blackburn U23 | West Ham U23 |
| Feb. 3 | Manchester City U23 | Sunderland U23 |
| Feb. 4 | Stoke City U23 | Wolves U23 |
| Feb. 5 | Chelsea U23 | Reading U23 |
| Feb. 5 | Liverpool U23 | Tottenham U23 |
Recap
Everton entered Monday's clash in excellent form and looking for another win, but they faced a solid United squad filled with some veteran talent, as Bailly made his first start since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations. Axel Tuanzebe also made an appearance.
Matthew Olosunde gave away a penalty in the first half that was expertly saved by Joel Pereira. Per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, he's been in fine form this season:
The Red Devils' defence looked solid, and Bailly made a fine impression in his return from AFCON, but United gave far too much space to Courtney Duffus to score the opener before the break.
Everton dominated in the first half, but the Red Devils improved after the break, and Josh Harrop missed a golden opportunity from the penalty spot to pull his side level. The hosts were given another penalty shortly afterward, and Demi Mitchell fared much better.
But the positivity in the stands soon evaporated, as Bailly went down with a knock and had to be replaced.
Stephen Howson of Full Time DEVILS shared these images:
"Not good news. @ericbailly24 has gone down injured and needed to come off pic.twitter.com/Cx7a7FrXoK
— Stephen Howson (@MrStephenHowson) January 30, 2017"
Substitute Bassala Sambou came to the rescue for the Toffees, however. First, he powered home a great shot into the corner to give his side the lead, before converting yet another penalty, all but securing the three points.
Everton's main title rivals in Group 1, Manchester City, served up a dramatic encounter in Leicester. Isaac Buckley gave the visitors an early lead, and when Rodney Kongolo made it 2-0, the Sky Blues appeared to be on their way to an easy win.
The Foxes started the second half in confident fashion, however, and tied things up with 12 minutes to play. Denzeil Boadu restored the lead almost instantly, but a minute later, he gave away a penalty for handling the ball.
Neither team would find a late winner, meaning Everton were the big winners in Group 1 on Monday.
Tottenham Hotspur had little trouble handling Southampton on Monday, as Nathan Oduwa gave the hosts a quick lead and seemed to double his tally 30 minutes into the match. The goal was later overturned to an own-goal from Alfie Jones.
ESPN FC's Dan Kilpatrick weighed in on the Spurs man's future:
Oduwa turned provider for the third goal, as he played in Shilow Tracey, who converted comfortably. Saints shared video of the goal:
Ryan Seager pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the second half.
Group 2 leaders Swansea City suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fulham that saw their lead take a bit of a hit, but the Swans remain the clear favourites for the title.
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