2017 Premier League 2: Friday's U23 Scores, Results, Updated Points and Schedule

Manchester City's Under-23 team blew the race for the Premier League 2 title wide open on Friday at the City Football Academy, as they beat leaders Everton 3-0.

After a goalless first period, Thierry Ambrose came off the bench to give City the lead. That was before the brilliant Brahim Diaz made the game safe for the visitors and Jadon Sancho added the gloss to the scoreline with a third.

The win for Simon Davies' team sees them close the gap to the Toffees to just three points with four games to play.

Earlier in the day, Arsenal moved up into third as they comfortably overcame rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Colney. Yaya Sanogo and Reiss Nelson were on the scoresheet for the Gunners.

Here are the updated standings and a closer look back at the highlights from Friday's crucial games in Premier League 2.

Date	Time	Fixture
Friday, March 3	2 p.m.	Arsenal U23 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur U23
Friday, March 3	7 p.m.	Manchester City U23 3-0 Everton U23
Friday, March 3	7 p.m.	Brighton U23 4-2 Middlesbrough U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	Blackburn Rovers U23 vs. Fulham U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	Derby County U23 vs. Leicester City U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	Newcastle United U23 vs. Norwich City U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	Reading U23 vs. Liverpool U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	Southampton U23 vs. Chelsea U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	Sunderland U23 vs. Manchester United U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	West Brom U23 vs. Swansea City U23
Monday, March 6	7 p.m.	Wolves U23 vs. Aston Villa U23

#	Division 2	MP	W	D	L	F	A	D	P
#	Division 2	MP	W	D	L	F	A	D	P
1	Everton U23	18	13	2	3	38	14	+24	41
2	Manchester City U23	18	11	5	2	41	24	+17	38
3	Arsenal U23	18	9	1	8	29	23	+6	28
4	Liverpool U23	16	8	3	5	30	20	+10	27
5	Chelsea U23	17	6	7	4	34	26	+8	25
6	Sunderland U23	17	5	6	6	20	25	-5	21
7	Tottenham U23	18	5	4	9	25	33	-8	19
8	Southampton U23	17	5	3	9	21	30	-9	18
9	Reading U23	17	5	3	9	28	38	-10	18
10	Derby County U23	17	4	5	8	25	34	-9	17
11	Manchester United U23	17	4	5	8	18	30	-12	17
12	Leicester City U23	16	4	4	8	22	34	-12	16
1	Swansea City U23	18	14	0	4	34	19	+15	42
2	Fulham U23	18	10	2	6	34	22	+12	32
3	Wolves U23	16	9	3	4	30	23	+7	30
4	Newcastle United U23	18	9	3	6	28	27	+1	30
5	West Ham United U23	18	8	4	6	26	22	+4	28
6	Blackburn Rovers U23	18	7	4	7	18	21	-3	25
7	Brighton U23	19	6	6	7	18	20	-2	24
8	Aston Villa U23	18	6	5	7	30	29	+1	23
9	West Brom U23	16	5	3	8	20	22	-2	18
10	Middlesbrough U23	18	3	6	9	18	29	-11	15
11	Stoke City U23	16	3	5	8	19	26	-7	14
12	Norwich City U23	17	3	3	11	13	28	-15	12

Friday Recap

Given what was at stake for Everton—a point would have been a fine result—it was no surprise they arrived at City seeking to keep things tight.

While David Unsworth's team welcomed a lot of pressure upon themselves as a result, the hosts' talented attackers were unable to find a way through with any regularity, although Diaz looked capable of something in sky blue.

As noted by Phil Kirkbride of the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees' men at the back were standing strong in the first period:

Indeed, for all of City's possession, Mateusz Hewelt wasn't called into called into any serious saves before time was called on a physical half but one that was lacking in quality from either team.

To begin the second half, there was a little more ambition from Everton, although a change from City saw them take the lead. Ambrose kept his composure in the box to cut inside and finish calmly past Hewelt.

Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

One quickly became two, as Diaz capitalised on some hesitant defensive play from the Blues to flash home a second. Per Paddy Boyland of The Blue Room, the visitors had lost their organisation at that point:

With that in mind, it was no surprise to see City continue to come forward in search of more goals. A fine cross from Aaron Nemane caught the Everton defence flat-footed again, although Sancho was anything but as he turned home a third for his side.

The victory will be a huge boost for City as they seek to chase down their rivals at the top, setting up a potentially thrilling finish in the final stages of the inaugural Premier League 2 campaign.

Earlier on Friday Arsenal and Tottenham locked horns too. In a frantic first period it was Arsenal who looked the most dangerous, with Sanogo in particular posing a threat to the Spurs defence.

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

The Frenchman had an effort blocked in the 20th minute, and his physicality was giving the Gunners a strong focal point at the forefront of the attack. But eventually it was an error from one of Spurs' more experienced men that allowed Arsenal to get ahead.

A loose ball from Joe Pritchard was blocked by Carl Jenkinson, and suddenly Sanogo had space to surge into. He fired through Lopez to give the Gunners a crucial lead five minutes before the break.

Here's the opener, per the Arsenal Twitter account:

After the restart, the game did open up with Spurs chasing an equaliser. They very nearly grabbed one, too, as Filip Lesniak's header was cleared off the line by Mathieu Debuchy. 

The Gunners were getting chances, though, with Lopez twice denying Donyell Malen when he went through on goal.

However, Steve Gatting's side were not made to pay for Malen's profligacy as the youngster set up a second for his side. Nelson was the beneficiary of his cutback, thrashing home the clincher two minutes from time.

The Arsenal Twitter account captured the celebrations:

Having beaten Chelsea 4-1 in their last outing, Arsenal's youngsters are finishing this campaign with a flourish. While the title is beyond them at this stage in the campaign, the Gunners are in position to battle with Liverpool and the Blues for a spot in the top three.

Spurs, by contrast, are lingering just two points above the relegation zone having played a game more than the four sides below.