- Man City u18s are champions again
- Six points above Man United with game in hand
- Sealed triumph with win over Derby County
Manchester City have been crowned the u18s Premier League Northern group champions after defeating Derby County in an eight-goal thriller.
Success at Manchester City is not exclusively for the men’s first-team. The Citizens are leading the way in the Women’s Super League and they have now won their regional division in the under-18s Premier League.
City rivals Manchester United were piling the pressure on City, but the young Sky Blues squad were simply too good.
The title triumph is very much deserved, with Man City winning five matches in a row and scoring 22 goals in the process.
Man City defeat Derby County to win u18s Premier League
Earlier this afternoon, Oliver Reiss led his team to a 5-3 victory against Derby, less than three months after they lost 3-1 to the Rams in the reverse fixture.
The win was never in doubt, with Kylan Midwood putting the hosts ahead just 20 minutes into the game.
Highlights from our victory over Derby which helped seal our U18 Premier League North title 🤩🙌 pic.twitter.com/lMoNDlr5mr
— Manchester City Academy (@ManCityAcademy) May 2, 2026
Teddy Lamb made it two in the 58th minute and 15-year-old Xavier Parker added another two minutes later.
It did not take long for Israel Green to pull one back with a penalty kick, but two more goals from Midwood put the victory beyond doubt.
Derby did respond with a couple of goals before the match ended, but it was not enough to stop City from topping their group.
Man City will play in the national final
Although Man City have won the title, they still have to play against the winner of the southern group so the national champion can be crowned.
In this case, it is Chelsea who will be taking them on, as the Blues lead the way in their group by 14 points.
WE ARE U18 PREMIER LEAGUE NORTH WINNERS! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/mBszgAmV2k
— Manchester City Academy (@ManCityAcademy) May 2, 2026
The final will take place at the senior stadium of whichever club is down as the home team, so it will either be at the Etihad Stadium or Stamford Bridge.
City lost in the final last year
The 2024/25 season was very similar to this one, as Man City topped the northern group while United finished second.
However, City were defeated at Villa Park in the national final by a single goal on Saturday, May 17.
Hopefully this campaign will be a different story, as the boys in sky blue look to become the ultimate winners for the first time since 2023.
