Crewe Alexandra's youth squad fell to defeat at the hands of Manchester United this morning in a close game that very nearly ended as a draw but to a last minute winner from the visitors.

An early chance arose for Crewe's youngsters in the first minute when Ben Marshall put forward a great ball for Alex Titchener but the chance came to no avail, minutes later another ball from Marshall was put into the box but it couldn't connect with head of the waiting Matt Lund and the threat was removed. Despite a good start the home side just couldn't put the chances away. It wasn't long until the first threat from United came about as a back pass from Nathan Bancroft almost proved fatal as keeper Daniel Platt headed the ball clear only for an opposing player to pick it up, fortunately he could not direct it on goal and his efforts went wide.

It was a quiet first half as the game continued in much the same way with some good football being played from both sides.

As the half an hour mark approached United had the first chance to take the lead, but a fantastic save from Platt pushed the ball over the crossbar from an 18-yard free kick.

As the second half approached, Crewe's youngsters were forced to show their defensive side as United applied the pressure, and another good save from Crewe's stopper kept the scores level. As Crewe picked up on the counter attack Titchener set up Lund just inside the box with a great opportunity but the shot was deflected and eventually cleared. It wasn't long after when the two paired up again really testing the United keeper for the first time in the game. As half time approached Titchener provided some quality play holding off United's pressure from their defenders, a ball through to Luke Murphy saw him take his chances but he just couldn't guide the effort on target.

Crewe Alexandra emerged for the second half with a new air of determination. Less than 10 minutes into the second half and more chances were arising. Marshall again providing the cross but as Titchener went for the header, he couldn't quite get the angle of his header correctly and he went over the bar. The boys followed that up with Ashley Westwood finding Lund inside the box with a fantastic chance to put the home side in the lead, however, despite his best efforts he just couldn't beat the keeper to the ball.

Titchener had further chances for the home side, but just after the hour mark, despite dominating the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Alex boys found themselves a goal down. As a dangerous corner was unsuccessfully cleared, United got a second shot and unfortunately for Platt his body deflected it back out and a small tap in was all it needed to change the score line. The Alex were unfortunate to find themselves behind.

A great chance for an equaliser came just minutes later though, as a header fell for Ben Marshall just outside the 6-yard box. Luke Murphy put the ball in only for Marshall to head the ball wide. Murphy provided another chance for Alex Titchener but as his shot was deflected away calls for handball were shouted but ignored by the referee.

With 10 minutes remaining all efforts were being pushed forward, and the efforts paid off as Alex Titchener got the goal he had been desperately working for giving the Alex a deserved equaliser. Ashley Westwood crossed the ball and after colliding with a number of heads in the box fell to the feet of Titchener who tapped the ball into the net.

With a new wave of energy James Collins' side pushed on for the winning goal, but it was United that fought back first. Another corner was taken and a scramble in the box ensued as Platt missed his ball, United had two chances as a result but as they were both blocked the danger was eventually cleared. Kelvin Mellor made a great clearance as he cleared a shot off the line when Platt was caught unaware out of his goal. It was an excellent opportunity for the United boys to take victory. The final minute of the game though brought about that victory they wanted, as a fantastic shot drilled through the defence and hit the back of the net. An unfortunate event as the game looked to be heading towards a draw, the Crewe lads fell to defeat despite playing some good football that showed signs of victory.

Team: Daniel Platt, Matt Tootle, Nathan Bancroft, Kelvin Mellor, Ben McHugh (Charlie Ager), Ben Marshall (Michael Jackson), Ashley Westwood, Matt Lund, Chris Clements, Luke Murphy, Alex Titchener