All you need to know about the U18 Premier League Cup

Information

12 Feb 2024

Crystal Palace Under-18s will face Manchester United U18s in the semi-final of the U18 Premier League Cup on Saturday, 2nd March (11:00 GMT). Here’s everything you need to know about the competition and Palace’s story so far.

Palace's U18 PL Cup campaign in 2023/24

Palace started their campaign in the 2023/24 U18 Premier League Cup with a remarkable 6-1 win over Liverpool - a side they wouldn’t have normally faced during the season. Goals from Hindolo Mustapha, George King, Jesse Derry, along with a hat-trick from Zach Marsh, saw the side top Group G after the first round of fixtures.

Following the win aganist Liverpool, Fulham claimed top spot with two wins out of two. The young Eagles fell to defeat against Newcastle in their second game of the group stage, which set up a winner-takes-all final game of the group phase against the Cottagers.

U18 Match Highlights: Crystal Palace 6-1 Liverpool

In a topsy-turvy game against their west London rivals, Palace were two goals to the good before finding themselves two goals behind as Fulham made it 2-4. Rob Quinn's side displayed their resilience to fight back and make it 4-4, before winning it right at the death in the 94th minute.

Beating Fulham meant that Palace topped the group on goal difference and progressed to the quarter-final of the tournament for the first time.

They then hosted Aston Villa, who topped their group with three wins out of three against Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Norwich City.

Their one previous meeting this season saw the 10-men of Palace beat the nine men of Villa 3-2 in an utterly chaotic affair. It was a more straightforward afair as Palace managed to brush aside the Villains in a comfortable 3-0 victory.

This set up a semi-final clash against Manchester United on Saturday, 2nd March (11:00 GMT) and the winner will go on to face either Leicester City or Manchester City in the final.

The game will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+, subject to the required permissions being granted.

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U18 Premier League Cup Highlights: Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa

The U18 Premier League Cup Explained

Initially launched in the 2017/18 season, the U18 Premier League Cup brings an additional layer of competitiveness - through cup-style knockout football - to complement the U18 Premier League calendar.

Divided into seven groups of four teams, the U18 Premier League Cup features clubs facing off against each other once in the group stage, either at home or away.

The tournament also removes the regionalisation of north and south, which currently splits the league format, meaning sides will get to experience opposition they wouldn’t face under normal circumstances.

Progression to the quarter-finals is determined by the seven group winners and the top-performing runner-up, based on total points, goal difference, and subsequently, head-to-head records.

Each game from the quarter-final onwards will be one-off ties and will be decided on the day. Extra-time and penalties will be used if the scores remain level after 90 minutes.

U18 Premier League Cup 23/24

Group Stage

Crystal Palace 6-1 Liverpool
Newcastle United 4-1 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace 5-4 Fulham

Quarter-final

Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa

Semi-final

Manchester United U18s v Crystal Palace U18s
11:00 GMT
Carrington

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