West Ham’s U18s secured a place in the PL Cup semi finals after their penalty shootout win over Manchester United who won the competition last season.

Manchester United have made an outstanding start to their league campaign. At the time of writing they have won 11 out of their 12 league games scoring 47 goals and conceding just four, a remarkable defensive record.

Despite their opponents excellent start to the season, and the fact they won the U18s PL Cup last season, the Hammers held their own and rose to the challenge.

Although Lauris Coggin’s side went a goal down 11 minutes in and withstood a lot of early pressure from Manchester United, they found a way back into the game. A goal from Josh Ajala, who has been in great goalscoring form for the U21s, on the stroke of half time and one from Gabriel Caliste a minute into the second half put the Hammers in front and turned the game on its head.

United would equalise after 51 minutes, but West Ham showed resilience. With the tie going to extra time, the Hammers navigated their way through the additional thirty minutes, before keeping their composure to win a tense penalty shootout 5-4.

The shootout victory secured West Ham’s place in the competitions semi finals alongside Liverpool with two quarter final ties still to be played.

Speaking about the win post match, forward Josh Ajala said: “It was a tough game, playing 120 minutes, we had to dig deep. Manchester United had a lot of the ball, so there was a lot of defending to do. That winning feeling at the end meant so much. The togetherness throughout the 120 minutes was amazing.”

West Ham’s U18s deserve huge praise for the character they showed to get past a top Manchester United side. Going behind early, dealing with sustained pressure and managing United’s threat was a tough test for Lauris Coggin’s side.

The young Hammers dealt with it remarkably well, getting themselves back into the tie and holding their nerve through the pressure of both extra time as well as a penalty shootout.

The win is evidence of the excellent mentality within West Ham’s U18 squad. With their place in the semi finals secured an after a win against quality opposition, the Hammers will be full of belief that they can go all the way in the competition.