Paddy McNair's well-taken goal 23 minutes from time earned Manchester United Under-21s a 1-0 win over their Middlesbrough counterparts on Monday evening.
The inclusion of Wayne Rooney in the Red Devils' starting lineup attracted a healthy crowd to Old Trafford, but in the end it was defender McNair who settled the contest.
Boro failed to truly create any openings, with their best chance coming inside the opening 10 minutes when Arnel Jakupovic was denied by the legs of Sam Johnstone.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
6.30pmHello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Under-21s Premier League meeting between Manchester United and Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. There is plenty to play for this evening as the Red Devils aim to take a giant stride towards successive titles, while Boro are battling to avoid the drop in the final throes of the campaign.
6.32pmWe are now at the business end of the season, making this clash at the Theatre of Dreams all the more important in terms of the implications at both ends of the table. There has already been one match played in the division this evening - and the final result in that one will be of particular interest to tonight's visitors as bottom side Norwich City have claimed a 1-0 win away at Leicester City.
6.34pmThat means Boro can take a big step towards avoiding the drop with a victory this evening, with the gap on the bottom two standing at one point ahead of kickoff at Old Trafford. The Smoggies have given themselves real hope thanks to back-to-back victories in recent weeks, following a previous run of 13 games without a win - 10 of which ended in defeat. As a result of that early full-time score, Leicester drop to the foot of the table on 18 points, while Norwich climb to 11th on 19 - one below Middlesbrough after playing the same number of matches.
6.36pmAll very exciting at the bottom, then, and that particular battle will likely go right down to the wire. Middlesbrough follow up this tough-looking test at Old Trafford with a home tie against Chelsea in their final league outing of the season, so points may very well be at a premium on the back of what has been an impressive couple of weeks for Paul Jenkins and his men.
6.38pmThe battle at the top is proving to be just as tight, too, as United currently trail leaders Sunderland by four points. The caveat is the fact that the Red Devils have three games in hand still to play; including a re-arranged fixture against Chelsea in the closing weeks of the campaign. Supporters have been lured to Old Trafford this evening by the prospect of seeing Wayne Rooney play some part, with tickets available on the gate for free.
6.40pmSpeaking of which, this seems like a good time to check out some team news from Old Trafford with kickoff around 20 minutes or so away now.
MANCHESTER UNITED XI: Johnstone; Riley, Williams, Jones, Borthwick-Jackson; McNair, Love; Redmond, Rothwell, Weir; Rooney
MIDDLESBROUGH XI: Fryer; Johnson, Burn, Fry, McKenley; Tinkler, Jones, Wheatley; Jakupovic, McAllon, Cooke
6.42pmSo Wayne Rooney, as expected, does indeed start at Old Trafford this evening. First-team boss Louis van Gaal promised that the England international would get at least an hour, so his battle to prove his worth to both the Dutchman and national team manager Roy Hodgson begins tonight. Rooney is one of 10 Englishmen in the starting lineup, in fact, but James Weir will keep hold of the armband.
6.44pmThese U-21s fixtures provide a good chance for not only the younger players to shine, but also for the more established senior stars to gain some playing time. Phil Jones featured against Chelsea last time out at this level, and he is once more selected at the back for United. Ashley Young was also involved in that 1-1 draw against the Blues, although he is now back among the first-team squad and will therefore not play a part this evening.
6.46pmWayne Rooney has not featured for club or country since picking up an injury against Sunderland on February 2nd, with this Under-21s fixture against Middlesbrough the first outing on his comeback trail. The established striker will now need to prove his doubters wrong by nailing down a spot in the England squad for this summer's Euros, having previously found the net 17 times in 32 appearances prior to his set-back.
© Getty Images
6.48pmDID YOU KNOW? Warren Joyce's charges will run out at Old Trafford tonight for the last time this season, as they see out their campaign on the road against Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Chelsea over the coming fortnight. Current leaders Sunderland play for the last time tonight when taking on Spurs, knowing that they can reach a maximum of 46 points - seven more than United's current tally.
6.50pmThat is surely an advantage for the Red Devils, going into their final few games knowing exactly what is required to secure back-to-back league crowns. Seven points will likely be required from a remaining 12, so victory tonight against one of the division's weaker sides is vital. The gap on third-place Manchester City is a whopping 11 points, incidentally, meaning this is very much a two-horse race at the top of the table.
6.52pmThis match does take on added significance for the inclusion of Rooney, of course, and he will be determined to hit the ground running. There was an outside chance of the Englishman featuring against Spurs yesterday evening, but Louis van Gaal was against the idea of throwing him in at the deep end. Instead, Rooney now has a maximum of eight senior games to prove his worth, with a place in the England starting lineup come mid-June his big target now.
6.54pmWith kickoff now a little over five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps heading into this crucial Under-21s Premier League showdown at the Theatre of Dreams.
Warren Joyce: "It's good we've got a run-in. Whatever happens from now until the end of the year, it's been a fantastic season with the amount of players we've got through to have a little taste of the first team. You've got to be competing for trophies if you're playing here and, at the minute, we're still in with a shout of the league and we're in two County Cup semi-finals. They are always the demands and we want to be in the mix all the time to win things."
Paul Jenkins: "We're trying not to look at the league. We've just said go and win games and the league will take care of itself. There is a massive togetherness in the dressing room and that's what we need to give ourselves a chance. We have two games left, against Manchester United and Chelsea. At this age and at this time of the season, what a fantastic opportunity for the players. Look boys, if you want to be a professional football this is what it's all about, this is reality."
6.56pmSo Jenkins stressing the importance of his players facing these final two fixtures, against United and Chelsea, face on rather than shrieking away. Victory for Norwich over Leicester earlier today means Boro remain outside of the bottom two heading into this fixture, so a point would surely be seen as a positive result to take back north. United, on the other hand, will likely have to make up seven points on Sunderland over their remaining 4 games - a tough task, but certainly achievable.
6.58pmHere is a reminder of both teams' matchday squads, as the two sets of players make their way down the tunnel ahead of kickoff. Wayne Rooney the headline inclusion for United, while Phil Jones is also given a run-out on his own return to action in a side containing 10 Englishmen.
Manchester United v Middlesbrough under-21s team sheet pic.twitter.com/IX0zaafx3h
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) April 11, 2016
1 minKICKOFF! A healthy attendance at Old Trafford this evening, drawn in by the attraction of seeing some stars of the future and indeed the returning Rooney. The England international gets us up and running.
3 minFairly tentative start to the match, but it is United who are looking to set the tempo in these early stages. Plenty of spectators still making their way into the ground, although one man already seated is United first-team boss Louis van Gaal.
5 minAn energetic start to the match from both sides, but still United the ones looking more lively in attack. No chances of not just yet, and no real sight of Rooney on the ball. Plenty of time for that to change over the remaining 85 minutes or so, an hour of which the England forward is expected to play.
7 minBetter from the hosts over the past couple of minutes to just up the tempo slightly, working the ball out to Love on the far right. Borthwick-Jackson flashed the ball across the goalmouth from the other side, yet Rooney was not there to capitalise.
9 minBoro doing well enough to contain their opponents so far, although Borthwick-Jackson did get in behind a couple of minutes ago. Rooney just waiting for the cut-back, but the young defender opted to instead blast across the face of goal.
11 minSAVE! A fine long ball from Rooney out to Rothwell has just a tad too much on it for the United midfielder, allowing the Boro defence to clear their lines. The first shot of the match actually comes up the other end, though, as Jakupovic is played through only to be denied by the stretch of Johnstone.
13 minSo United the team on top in terms of possession, but the visitors have had the only opportunity of the game so far in front of goal. Johnstone did well to keep out Jakupovic having been a mere spectator for the opening 10 minutes of the match.
15 minJust under 10,000 were at Old Trafford to watch United against Chelsea last time out, and that figure looks to have been beaten this evening. Not a great deal to get those fans, including Van Gaal, excited just yet following a largely tentative start to the match.
17 minSHOT! Rooney goes for the trademark lob over Fryer with his first attempt of the match, but it did not have near enough on it to get the better of Fryer. Something for the Boro keeper to think about, at least.
19 minTottenham have taken the lead against Sunderland elsewhere, incidentally, so United can well and truly close the gap on the league leaders should they win tonight. Plenty of work of their own to do, of course, having so far been able to create any clear-cut openings here.
21 minBoro win a free kick in a promising crossing position, but it is rather wasted and fails to ask any questions of Johnstone. The visitors really do need to make the most of those rare openings in attack if they are to claim a point this evening.
23 minTottenham are actually two goals to the good at home to Sunderland now, so things looking very good for United elsewhere. Not quite happening for them here, however, as still they have been unable to test opposition keeper Fryer with a quarter of the match played.
25 minSAVE! Fryer makes his first save of the contest, and what a big one it was! Weir pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box by putting his foot right through it, but it was at a nice height for the Boro keeper to just shove to a safe distance.
27 minPlenty of eyes on the returning Wayne Rooney this evening, of course, but Phil Jones is another looking to build up some match fitness. The versatile defender also featured against Chelsea last week, so he is very much closing in on a return to first-team action.
© Getty Images
29 minAll very pedestrian again all of a sudden, but that soon changed when Rooney and Weir linked up brilliantly inside the opposition box. The latter got a shot away from the tight angle, which was blocked behind for a corner.
31 minNo goals at the Theatre of Dreams so far, but they are flying in at Spurs where Sunderland have pulled one back to make it 2-1 30 minutes in. That is the league leaders' final match of the season, remember, so United will know exactly what is required to win the title over the final few weeks.
33 minA short stoppage in play following a coming together in midfield. It has hardly been a classic so far, in truth, but the intensity has been high enough which is exactly what Van Gaal will be after from his second-string side.
35 minWeir involved in pretty much every attacking move for United so far, the latest of which ends when Rothwell is clattered into. No free kick, according to the ref, but it was an incredibly high boot on him and a red card could well have been shown.
37 minBurn was the guilty party in that high-boot incident, which has left Rothwell in a heap on the ground. The North-East native was shown red in the reverse fixture and he really should have seen another for that horror challenge.
39 minMANCHESTER UNITED SUB! Joe Rothwell, unsurprisingly, is unable to continue after that horror challenge a few minutes ago. A real disappointment for the young midfielder, who is replaced by Andreas Pereira with a little over five minutes to go until the interval.
41 minRooney a little wasteful with his attempt, bringing to an end another attack. Four minutes to go until half time at Old Trafford and no real sign of a goal from either side at the moment. Very sluggish in the opening half of this contest.
43 minSo decent enough build-up play from United, but Love's layoff for Rooney is intercepted 25 yards out. The returning striker getting a tad frustrated now, as are the 10,000 or so spectators inside the Theatre of Dreams as we approach the interval.
45 minThree minutes of added time to be played at the end of this tame first half, which has so far seen either keeper make one save apiece. Not expecting the deadlock to be broken prior to the referee's whistle sounding for the interval.
45+2 minA promising moment for the hosts, as a few shots go flying in around the edge of the box. Each of them are blocked away, but the ball eventually falls for McNair to smash it high into the empty stand behind the goal.
45+3 minHALF TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 MIDDLESBROUGH
7.52pmRedmond managed to get a shot on target in the final few seconds of the half, which was right down the throat of Fryer to make an easy stop. United's only other attempt on target came 25 minutes in when Weir took on a half-volley right on the edge of the box to force the Boro stopper into a fairly routine save in a goalless first half.
7.55pmThe best opportunity of the match actually fell the visitors' way inside the opening quarter, as Jakupovic latched on to a ball through the middle to find himself with only Johnstone to beat, yet he failed to get the better of the United keeper and Boro's only chance of the half went begging.
7.58pmThe biggest talking point arrived late in the half when Boro skipper Burn lunged in on Rothwell with an over-the-ball challenge, which incredibly went unpunished by the referee. Can only assume the man in the middle did not see the incident, as he did not even award a free kick to United in what would have been a promising position.
8.01pmHere is a closer look at that Burn challenge on Rothwell. Make your own decision on whether it was worthy of a yellow, red or no card at all...
Context for previous tweets... pic.twitter.com/qZIv1Yk94M
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) April 11, 2016
46 minRESTART! We are back underway at Old Trafford, with the onus very much on United to up the tempo a little more in pursuit of a breakthrough goal. Rooney remains on the field, as expected, so he will have another 15 minutes or so to make a difference.
48 minJames Weir actually made way for Sadiq El Fitouri at the break, which I can only put down to an injury problem. The United skipper looked lively in the first half - one of the only players on the field with the ability to move things up a gear or two.
50 minSHOT! Pereira fires in a shot on goal from around 35 yards out. It was routine enough for Fryer who just had to get down to collect, but at least the hosts are looking to test the opposition keeper in the early stages of this second period.
52 minLooked like United were more fired up in the opening minutes of the half, but all very lax again once more. Not seen anything from Boro in attack, meanwhile, other than that early chance for Jakupovic which was squandered.
54 minNot seen a great deal from Rooney in the 54 minutes thus far, and he will surely be reaching the end of his comeback. Just one more sub for Joyce to make following those two enforced alterations prior to this second half getting underway.
56 minPlenty of excitement around Old Trafford when Rooney steps up for a free kick 25 yards out, but he can only bend it a good few metres wide of the target. The returning striker will probably get another five or 10 minutes before being withdrawn.
58 minA teasing cross from Love on the left is so very nearly helped home by Redmond, who could not quite stretch enough to make a telling touch. United showing signs of moving up a gear now, but they are still struggling to create any clear-cut openings against a stubborn Boro side.
60 minNot a great display from United so far, but plenty to be positive about as Sunderland still trail Tottenham 2-1 elsewhere this evening. The Red Devils need to make up three points on their opponents with three games in hand to play as things stand.
62 minMANCHESTER UNITED SUB! A Boro free kick is launched into the box where it is initially cleared, but the second ball in is a little tougher to deal with. Johnstone read the danger well, though, and was quickly out to gather ahead of any players in yellow. Wayne Rooney has now made way, with a little over an hour under his belt.
64 minRooney has only just made his way down the tunnel, some three minutes after actually leaving the field, as he was in deep discussions with some members of the United coaching staff. All three changes made by the hosts now, incidentally, so Joyce has rolled the dice for the final time.
66 minSAVE! Another save for Fryer to make, but yet another simple one. Love really put his foot through the ball from 25 yards out, striking it right down the middle for the Boro keeper to keep hold of.
67 minGOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 MIDDLESBROUGH (PADDY MCNAIR)
68 minWe have the breakthrough at Old Trafford at long last, and it has come from defender Paddy McNair. Middlesbrough have remained tight throughout, but the Northern Ireland international controlled a cross from the right and blasted home with his second touch to score his fourth goal in 14 outings at this level.
70 minAll eyes may have been on Wayne Rooney this evening, but it was another who has experience at first-team level who made the breakthrough. Paddy McNair now has four goals in 14 games at this level - some record for a defensive player.
© Getty Images
72 minUnited still in control as we approach the final quarter of the match, with the difference now being that key McNair breakthrough goal. No need for the hosts to push for a goal now, meaning they can look towards some more intricate build-up play.
74 minMIDDLESBROUGH SUB! Jones has been replaced on the 74-minute mark, with Mark Kitching on in his place. Boro must now look to step things up, which will certainly not be easy to do after spending so much of this game looking to defend.
76 minEl Fatouri has looked fairly impressive since coming up, covering plenty of ground down the right and swinging in a few decent crosses. Important that the Red Devils do not let their concentration levels drop now as we enter the final 15 minutes of this contest.
78 minOne other thing work mentioning at this point, with all three United subs now used - Phil Jones will have a full 90 minutes under his belt this evening barring any injuries picked up between now and full time. That is another big plus for Louis van Gaal, who is watching on from the stands tonight.
80 minBoro are the side in control all of a sudden, but they have not really gambled as such just yet. A little surprising when chasing down a goal, but Jenkins's men are opting to remain more patient in their build-up play for the time being.
82 minIt has been a disappointing performance from the Smoggies, in truth, as they have offered next to nothing in attack. It looked like being a different story when Jakupovic was through inside the opening 15 minutes, but since then it has been the quietest of games for Johnstone in goal.
84 minAround 7,000 odd inside Old Trafford this evening; 3,000 less than the attendance given against Chelsea last week. Those supporters will go home happy enough, having seen their side pick up another three points as it stands, but it has been a poor spectacle on the balance of things.
86 minOFF THE BAR! Well on a night lacking quality in attack, Pereira almost scored a screamer to change all that. A superbly-hit strike from the substitute curled in the air before crashing back off the upright and to safety. Great attempt!
88 minCooke's shot is dragged wide of the target up the other end in what is pretty much Boro's first attempt of the half. The visiting striker probably should have done better when left in a fair bit of space, but he failed to make the desired connection.
90 minThe Smoggies showing more attacking intent in these past couple of minutes than in the previous 88 combined. Too little, too late - this one is surely over. Just the two minutes of added time to come, as Spurs score a third against Sunderland in the other meaningful U-21 fixture this evening.
90+2 minFULL TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 MIDDLESBROUGH
8.57pmThe full-time whistle sounds at Old Trafford to take Manchester United within one victory of back-to-back Premier League titles at Under-21s level. Paddy McNair was the match winner thanks to his well-taken goal 23 minutes from time, sealing what was a bland contest on the balance of the full 90 minutes.
8.59pmSo United now head to Tottenham Hotspur next Monday knowing that victory will secure the title, but even if they slip up in that one they still have two more games - against Southampton and Chelsea - left to play. Well that concludes our live text coverage from Old Trafford. Thanks for joining!
