Man City Under-21s overturn three-goal deficit to stun Stoke in stoppage time

Manchester City’s Under-21s completed one of the more dramatic comebacks in Premier League 2 this season on Friday night, recovering from 3-0 down against Stoke City to win with a Dexter Oliver curler deep into added time.

City had looked comfortable in the first half, but conceded three goals in a chaotic 15-minute spell at the start of the second period. Xavier Parker pulled one back with 15 minutes remaining, before substitute Teddie Lamb narrowed the deficit further. Fellow substitute Harrison Miles levelled in the closing seconds of normal time, and Oliver then sealed the win with a curling effort in stoppage time.

Head coach Oli Reiss was candid about the rollercoaster nature of the result. “I was very happy with the first half, we can always say a little bit of detail here and there,” he told reporters after the game. “The performance was good so keep going. But I’ve no idea what happened in those 15 minutes. Sitting on the bench it was what kind of movie is this? But we fought to the end.”

Reiss added that he had to recalibrate his thinking once the deficit reached three goals. “I had to fight a little bit with myself at 3-0 for what we can do? Just stay in the game because there was plenty of time and this team with the quality can score goals as we saw in the last 20 minutes.”

Away from the Under-21s, former City Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain has been a visible presence at the club this week. Begiristain, who left his role at the end of last season and has been succeeded by Hugo Viana, attended the Premier League fixture against Ipswich at the weekend before watching the UEFA Youth League tie against AEK Athens on Tuesday. He sat alongside Viana throughout the Athens game, the pair reported to be in near-constant conversation.

The Youth League match itself ended 1-1. City fell behind inside the opening five minutes before Teddie Lamb equalised, but the young Blues could not find a winner against a disciplined AEK rearguard. The draw is their first point of the competition after opening losses to Porto and PSG.

The Youth League result means City’s youngsters face an uphill task to progress from the group stage, while the Under-21s now turn their attention to an EFL Trophy trip to Port Vale.