Manchester United secures a dramatic 2-1 victory to reach the final, will compete with Manchester City for the Youth FA Cup! "Little Messi" scores, Obi seals the win.

Manchester United's U18 side overcame Crystal Palace 2-1 in a hard-fought extra-time battle at Old Trafford, setting up a final clash with local rivals Manchester City U18. This is the first Manchester derby in the Youth FA Cup final in four decades. Gabriel scored first for United, but a mistake by the keeper allowed Palace to equalize, leading to extra time where Chido Obi netted the winner.

The first half was relatively uneventful, with the only notable incident being Crystal Palace's star striker David Angibaud refusing to leave the pitch. After a minor head collision, Angibaud stayed on for ten minutes before eventually being substituted for a concussion assessment.

Angibaud pleaded with the coach to let him continue, but the substitution decision had already been made. He appeared confused while talking to the Palace medical staff. As the striker walked back to the dressing room, United fans taunted, "He's about to cry."

Coach Darren Fletcher made substitutions at halftime to improve attacking efficiency. Nicknamed "Little Messi," Gabriel opened the scoring in the 76th minute, calmly finishing after receiving a diagonal pass from Obi, putting United 1-0 ahead.

The 15-year-old talented striker celebrated with a passionate slide, believing this goal would secure the Red Devils' place in the Youth FA Cup final since 2022.

However, just 60 seconds after the restart, Crystal Palace sent a high ball into the box contesting the second ball, and United goalkeeper Cameron Byrne-Hughes made a critical error when coming out to collect it.

His fumble caused chaos in the area, allowing Palace forward Rahean Anderson to capitalize and score the equalizing goal.

Crystal Palace then had two good chances to take the lead but failed to convert, forcing the match into extra time to decide the outcome.

Gabriel received warm applause from the crowd when he was substituted due to injury during the latter stages of extra time.

Without their key player, United could have opted to hold out for a penalty shootout, but the players persisted and ultimately scored the winning goal.

Four minutes before the end of the 120-minute match, substitute defender James Ofori's excellent pass allowed Obi to break through the defense and charge towards goal. The Danish striker, famous for scoring 10 goals in one match for Arsenal, calmly finished, scoring the decisive goal in front of the West Stand.

Gabriel, who had already been substituted, rushed from the bench to join the celebration and was subsequently shown a yellow card.

Interestingly, next Wednesday, United and Crystal Palace will meet again at Selhurst Park for the Premier League U18 Cup final.

United's opponent in the Youth FA Cup final will be the 2024 champions Manchester City U18. According to regulations, the final must be played before May 9.

The last time these two teams contested the Youth FA Cup title was in 1986, when Manchester City won 2-0 at Maine Road and drew 1-1 in the second leg, securing a 3-1 aggregate victory.

A disadvantage for United is that the final will be played away; Manchester City can choose to host the match at their academy home, the Joie Stadium, or at the senior team's Etihad Stadium. City has not yet decided the final venue.

Manchester City's academy has been very strong recently, reaching the final for the third consecutive year and the eighth time in 12 years. They won the title in 2024 against Leeds United but lost to Aston Villa last year. However, United is the most successful club in this competition, having won the championship 11 times.