Indy Boonen netted his first goal for Manchester United Under-23s to rescue his side a 1-1 draw against Swansea City Under-23s at Leigh Sports Village.
The Belgian youngster smartly lofted the ball home 11 minutes from time to cancel out Kenji Gorre's earlier opener against his former side.
United welcomed back senior stars Luke Shaw and Ashley Young from injury, with both players lasting an hour of the Premier League 2 contest.
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 Premier League 2 clash between Manchester United Under-23s and Swansea City Under-23s at Leigh Sports Village. The Red Devils' second-string side, set to be boosted by the inclusion of Ashley Young and Luke Shaw on their returns from injury this evening, are aiming to make it two wins from two to kick off the new season.
6.32pmSwansea earned promotion to this level last time out, meanwhile, beginning their 2017-18 campaign a week ago with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool. A point to take back to South Wales will be seen as a good result for them, as they aim to keep themselves above the dotted line. We are still awaiting official confirmation of United's starting XI, so let us begin by taking a look at how the visitors line up.
6.34pmSWANSEA CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Zabret, Reid, Lewis, Maric, Harries, Rodon, Garrick, Evans, Baker-Richardson, Byers, Gorre
SUBS: Cullen, Thomas, Dulca, Plezier, Bainbridge
6.36pmThe visiting side, co-managed by Cameron Toshack and Gary Richards, show two changes from the side that beat Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy in midweek. Kenji Gorre netted in that one from the bench and is given a starting role tonight, while Courtney Baker-Richardson is the other fresh face after making his debut in that same game. Botti Biabi and Ryan Blair are both absent through injury.
6.38pmMANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Pereira, Olosunde, Williams, Tuanzebe, Shaw, Willock, McTominay, Young, Boonen, Mitchell, Bohui
SUBS: Warren, Richardson, Hamilton, Riley, Kehinde
6.40pmAs senior boss Jose Mourinho hinted last week, Shaw and Young will both be used from the off this evening. Shaw has been on the sidelines since April with an ankle injury, while Young has also had a fairly long spell out after being forced off the field in the Europa League semi-final win over Celta Vigo at the tail end of 2016-17. They are the most experienced heads in Ricky Sbragia's starting lineup.
6.42pmManchester United, now under the management of Ricky Sbragia, are aiming to make it two wins from two this evening in Premier League 2. Sbragia made a winning start last time out, a month on from being appointed following a 12-year spell away from the club. The Scotsman had a successful stint in charge of the club before initially departing for Sunderland and then taking on a string of roles with the Scotland national team.
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6.44pmSbragia, who lasted just 26 games at the Sunderland helm, lifted the Manchester Senior Cup, Premier Reserves League North and Premier Reserves League National Championship during that previous spell in charge of the, as they were then known, United's reserve side. There was a change at the top during the summer and a vast improvement is required, having finished down in sixth place last season.
6.46pmThe Red Devils finished 22 points adrift of champions Everton last term, but they are the competition's most-successful side. Three of the previous five instalments have been won by United, including back-to-back crowns between 2014-16. Their crown slipped somewhat last season, though as ever they are much fancied to come out on top this time around, especially with so many talents coming through the ranks.
6.48pmUnited beat Leicester City 1-0 in last week's opener, courtesy of a Demetri Mitchell goal just after the hour mark. Liverpool are the only side to have picked up maximum points from the first two games, incidentally, though the Red Devils and Arsenal can both join them at the top if they come out on top in their respective games tonight. The Gunners are in action against Manchester City, while Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United also lock horns elsewhere.
6.50pmDefending champions Everton have just one point from the first six on offer, so United will be keen to capitalise on their slow start. Sbragia's charges take on Spurs and Arsenal in their next two outings, before preparing to face Chelsea in around a month's time. One win in their final nine matches to end last season, including a four-match losing run, appears to have been put to one side thanks to last week's triumph over Leicester.
6.52pmIn terms of the visitors, they are new at this level after earning promotion last time out. The Swans finished top of the Premier Division League 1 table, 11 points ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers and 19 in front of West Ham United, who also went up through the playoffs after finishing in sixth. City lost 2-0 to Liverpool in their opening league match of the season, before bouncing back by overcoming Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy in midweek.
6.54pmDanny Ings and Yan Dhanda scored in either half last week to down the Swans and, on paper at least, this looks like being an even tougher test for them. With West Ham and Derby to come in their next two outings, a point will likely be welcomed by the co-management duo of Toshack and Richards. Still very early days, of course, but their opponents will not fancy slipping up on home soil in a winnable fixture such as this.
6.56pmBoth sets of players are about to make their way on to the field of play at Leigh Sports Village. A reminder that Shaw and Young, out injured since April and May respectively, both start for Manchester United Under-23s this evening on their comeback return. Plenty of eyes on them no doubt, with senior boss Jose Mourinho keen to get them back in his first-team squad over the coming days and weeks.
6.58pmSwansea won the Professional Under-21s Development League 2 title in 2014-15 - their first age-grade success at any level below first team. They have some promising youngsters in their ranks, as witnessed last season when finishing top of the second tier, and they will now be keen to make an impression against this competition's most-successful ever side. United, remember, have lifted the title in three of the last five seasons.
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1 minKICKOFF! We are up and running in this Premier League 2 clash at Leigh Sports Village. Manchester United Under-23s the strong favourites to pick up the points this evening against a newly-promoted Swansea City Under-23s side.
3 minThis is the first of three meetings between the two sides, as they are also involved in European action. Ro-Shaun Williams takes an elbow in the face and then lands awkwardly, leading to an early pause in play for him to receive some treatment.
5 minMANCHESTER UNITED SUB! We have only actually played about two minutes of football due to that early blow to the face of Williams, who has had to be replaced by Tyrell Warren - a starter against Leicester last time out. Such a shame for Williams after being caught by Courtney Baker-Richardson.
7 minPENALTY MISSED! Shocker of a penalty from Demetri Mitchell, who opens up his foot and sends the ball wide of the target. The spot kick was awarded after Joe Rodon brought down Joshua Bohui inside the area when the ball got away from him.
9 minA glorious chance for United to open the scoring comes and goes, then, with Mitchell failing to convert from the penalty spot. That is the first and so far only chance of the evening, with the Swans otherwise able to keep things tight at the back.
11 minShaw is wiped out by a strong challenge from George Byers - a strong challenge, but a fair one in the eyes of the referee. City seeing a fair bit of the ball over the past couple of minutes in arguably their strongest spell, without doing a great deal with it.
13 minPlenty of positive running from the home side but, that chance from the penalty spot aside, we have not seen a great deal from them in an attacking sense. That Mitchell miss came early enough not to haunt the Red Devils too much, if they can push on.
15 minStill very little between the teams, with 15 minutes of the match now played. Tominay sends Young clear down the right but the winger is unable to pick out a teammate with his blasted cross - a little more precision needed there.
17 minBohui shows good power and gets a shot away from the edge of the box, but it flies over the Swansea crossbar. Manchester United still trying to truly click into gear, having been unable to get in behind their opponents so far.
19 minToshack and Richards will be happy with the start made by their side at Leigh Sports Village. They have yet to create anything in an attacking sense, but neither have their much stronger opponents, who are continuing to plug away.
21 minUnited just stepping things up a little in search of a breakthrough goal. Shaw has seen a fair bit of the ball over the past minute or so down the left, while Young also burst into the box a little earlier but his cross let him down.
23 minAshley Young swings a free kick into the box towards Tominay, but it was too close to the visiting keeper who was there to collect. Worth pointing out that the hosts did lose Williams to injury early on, which may explain why their play is so disjointed.
25 minA number of physical Swansea challenges, the latest of which sees Lewis lunge in. No bookings shown by the referee in the opening third of the match, but the man in the middle - with National League experience - is surely close to reaching into his pocket.
27 minYELLOW CARD! Right on cue, the referee does finally reach into his pocket to show Gorre a yellow for his rash challenge. An incredibly disjointed first half so far, which will suit the visitors just fine as they will no doubt be happy with a point.
29 minYELLOW CARD! The second yellow card of the match, seconds after the first, is show to Jack Evans for his foul on Young. The England international then had a couple of attempts, both of which were blocked on the edge of the box.
31 minCLOSE! Maric falls a little awkwardly when conceding a corner, but seems OK to continue. Young swings into into a dangerous area of the box but, after bouncing around, a shot deflects off Tominay and ends narrowly wide of the target.
33 minSHOT! Baker-Richardson does well to shrug off Tuanzebe and blasts the ball into the side-netting. Pretty much as close as Swansea have got to scoring in a very quiet first half at Leigh Sports Village, where we remain goalless.
35 minShaw overhits his cross into the area, where Young - among others - was waiting. United just lacking that spark required in the final third of the pitch so far, having squandered a big chance to open the scoring from the spot fairly early on.
37 minTyrell with a really big block around 22 yards from goal to deny Maric, who put his boot through the ball. United soon back in attack mode and win themselves a corner, which Ashley Young is going to send into the middle.
39 minYoung did indeed take the corner, but it again lacked the quality required. Tominay appeared to get there first though, much like the previous 39 minutes of this match, there was no end product. A really flat first-half showing from the hosts.
41 minAround four minutes of normal time to play before the half is up, but the referee will add one three minutes or so for that early Williams injury. That came just 25 seconds into the game and we have not really seen either side truly settle since.
43 minA late challenge on Young leaves the Englishman on the ground but, to the relief of the home fans in the ground, he is quickly back on his feet. Good run-out for both him and Luke Young in this first half - will they remain on for the next 45?
45 minAshley Young with a shot from 25 yards out after the Swansea defence backed off him a little too much, but it ended well over the bar. Three minutes of added time to be played at Leigh Sports Village as we await the breakthrough goal.
45+2 minThe ball ends nicely in the feet of Young, who in turn attempts to chip the keeper. The England international had likely already heard the referee's whistle, though, blown after being flagged for offside - the correct call by the officials.
45+4 minHALF TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED UNDER-23s 0-0 SWANSEA CITY UNDER-23s
7.52pmA disappointing first half in this Premier League 2 clash in Leigh, as the two teams go into the break all square at 0-0. Manchester United have been the better side, but their best chance was squandered from the penalty spot seven minutes in.
7.55pmAs hinted by Mourinho earlier in the week, Shaw and Young were both used from the off, but neither could make any real difference on the game in a flat first half. Demetri Mitchell squandered the Red Devils' best opening from the penalty spot, slotting wide of the post after Joe Rodon brought down Joshua Bohui.
7.58pmPrior to that, with just 25 seconds on the clock, Ro-Shaun Williams took an elbow to the face from Courtney Baker-Richardson and was forced to slowly make his way off the pitch. The three-minute stoppage in play appeared to have an affect on United's play, as they struggled to create too many openings in the remainder of the half.
8.01pmThe closest they came to a breakthrough arrived 33 minutes in when a shot from the edge of the box deflected off Scott McTominay and ended inches wide of the target. Swansea spent large parts of the evening defending but they also had a couple of wayward shots, the best of which saw Baker-Richardson fire into the side-netting after shrugging off Axel Tuanzebe.
8.04pmOne change already made by Ricky Sbragia, having been forced to take off Williams early on, but will he further rotate at the interval? The plan was likely to give Shaw and Young an hour or so each, though that may change due to the early alteration.
MANCHESTER UNITED U23s SUBS: Warren, Richardson, Hamilton, Riley, Kehinde
SWANSEA CITY U23s SUBS: Cullen, Thomas, Dulca, Plezier, Bainbridge
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46 minRESTART! We are back under way at Leigh Sports Village. Man United will be hoping for better luck in the final third in this second half, while for Swansea it is a case of so far, so good in their hopes of earning a point.
48 minShaw and Young both remain on the pitch, incidentally, entering the field a few minutes ago with smiles on their faces. The onus is on the returning duo to spark their side into life on the back of an uneventful opening 48 minutes or so.
50 minLewis, not for the first time today, is late on Young and gives away a free kick. The referee just giving him a little warning, with that likely being his final chance before becoming the fourth player of the match to be booked.
52 minUnited ran out 4-0 winners when these sides met at senior level a couple of days back, but no real sign of that being the case here. Evenly-matched contest on the whole, with neither team truly doing enough to open the scoring.
54 minGOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED UNDER-23s 0-1 SWANSEA CITY UNDER-23s (KENJI GORRE)
55 minStunning goal from Gorre, who spent 11 years at United earlier in his career. It caught Joel Pereira completely by surprise, with the Portuguese barely moving when the ball flew past him and into the far corner. Gorre was given time to cut onto his left inside the area but should not have scored from what was a tight angle.
57 minMitchell's cross hits the bar and is eventually cleared to safety. That Gorre goal has hopefully sparked this game into life, with United's players now having to increase their performance levels if they are to take anything from this match.
59 minMANCHESTER UNITED U23s SUB! Shaw and Young make it to the hour mark, just about, before being withdrawn. That is good news for Mourinho, who may be tempted to throw one or both of them into his senior squad next weekend.
61 minYELLOW CARD! George Byers, lucky to escape seeing yellow for a strong challenge on Shaw in the first half, is this time given a caution for his challenge on Tominay. Since skimming the bar, United have done little to get back into the game.
63 minOver an hour of the match played in Leigh and it is Swansea who have the lead. Just the one serious attempt on goal all evening, ending with Gorre somehow beating Pereira from an angle with his curled shot. Still time for a response!
65 minSAVE! Swansea register their second shot on target, with Aaron Lewis setting up Baker-Richardson to blast at Pereira. Swansea make a change in personnel, bringing on Dulca for Evans as we fast approach the final quarter of the match.
67 minBetter from United, as Tominay marches through on goal. Gregor Zabret got his hand to the ball before the skipper could get a shot away though, and his appeals for a penalty were rightly rejected by the referee. The hosts must now build on that.
69 minWe are now into the final quarter of the match and United have shown very little signs of being able to find a way through. Tominay was nearly in a few moments ago but overhit his touch to allow Zabret to pounce, summing things up for the hosts.
71 minIt will be interesting to see whether Toshack and Richards, the Swans' co-management duo, order their players to sit back in these final 20 minutes. United not putting their opponents under too much pressure so that seems pointless at the moment.
73 minBetter movement from United now as they up things in search of a leveller. Liverpool the only side with a perfect record in the division after two games, though Arsenal look likely to join them at the top as they are beating Man City elsewhere this evening.
75 minTominay looking bright over the past five minutes or so, looking to jink in behind when charging forward from midfield. Swansea sitting back slightly deeper all of a sudden and that is aiding the hosts, who have upped the ante.
77 minGOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED UNDER-23s 1-1 SWANSEA CITY UNDER-23s (INDY BOONEN)
78 minSwansea punished for sitting back a little too deep, as Indy Boonen nets his first goal for the Under-23s. It was all rather sloppy in the box, but credit to the Belgian youngster for keeping his cool and lofting the ball over Zabret when the ball fell to his feet six yards out.
80 minSwansea brought Liam Cullen on in the aftermath of that United leveller. The visitors have gone into a defensive mindset now and are struggling to get out, with United likely to bombard their goal in these remaining 10 minutes of the match.
82 minToshack and Richards will still see this as a positive point in their first away outing at this level. It could have been more, but they ultimately sat back a little too much and invited the pressure on themselves, which United have capitalised on.
84 minSix minutes of the match to go, plus presumably three or four added on at the end due to the number of subs and a goal for either side. A far more entertaining second half, with the opening 45 minutes containing just the one talking point - United's botched pen.
86 minSAVE! It is becoming a little desperate now from the Swans, as they do whatever they can to clear their lines. They so nearly snatched a second, though, with Cullen testing Pereira when the ball was quickly worked forward.
88 minAll of a sudden it appears that Swansea look the more likely to find a winner, making the most of the space up top when breaking. Warren misses a fairly simple cross into the box but it was cleared at the back post. End-to-end all of a sudden!
90 minSHOT! Byers sees his name up in lights, blasting the ball over the crossbar from an angle around eight yards out. He had teammates up alongside him but instead went for glory, which proved to be the wrong choice in the end.
90+2 minSix minutes of added time to be played, so this one is far from over. These last 12 minutes or so have been the best of the match, with United seeing more of the ball but Swansea creating the better chances on the counter attack.
90+4 minLooking increasingly likely that this one will finish in a draw and, on the basis of the 94 minutes to date, that would be just about a fair reflection. The Red Devils have had more of the ball but been unable to test Zabret often enough.
90+6 minFULL TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED UNDER-23s 1-1 SWANSEA CITY UNDER-23s
9.02pmAfter six minutes of added time, the referee blows his whistle to signal the end of the match. A first point for Swansea City Under-23s at this level, a week on from being comfortably beaten by Liverpool, as they hold Manchester United Under-23s to a 1-1 draw. Indy Boonen levelled for the hosts 11 minutes from time after Kenji Gorre's earlier opener.
9.04pmThat concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Leigh Sports Village. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the Premier League meeting between Manchester City and Everton are under way right here. Enjoy!
