Ken Aboh added another goal to his Norwich City showreel, but Sam Mather’s four-goal haul inflicted a 4-2 Premier League Two defeat by Manchester United's U21s at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Alan Neilson’s development side were taken apart by impressive United attacker Mather, who completed a 15-minute first half hat-trick before adding a fourth after the interval.

Aboh had reduced the deficit in the 45th minute, with an unerringly accurate low finish on his right foot, for his 10th goal in 12 Premier League 2 appearances.

The highly-rated 19-year-old striker is out of contract at Carrow Road this summer, and has so far rejected overtures to sign a new deal with the Canaries.

City captain Adian Manning pounced from close range in 76th minute, but the visitors were unable to muster a late comeback.

Keeper Dan Barden started in goal in his first competitive action since March 2023, and a loan stint for Ipswich Town’s FA Cup conquerors, Maidstone.

Barden spent six months out of the game following his first team breakthrough under Daniel Farke when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, before a long term knee injury.

Aboh led the line at Old Trafford for the young Canaries after seven goals in his previous five Premier League 2 appearances. Elliot Myles was included just days after signing his first professional contract following his 17th birthday.

Former England international and United academy coach Tom Huddlestone was in central midfield for the Red Devils.

Both sets of players wore armbands as a mark of respect, ahead of the upcoming anniversary of the 1958 Munich air crash. The respective coaches also carried wreaths as they emerged from the tunnel.

City made a confident start, with the prolific Aboh bursting into the box before the hosts’ were able to crowd out the forward.

At the other end Waylon Reneke sensed the danger to block an early effort from Isak Hansen-Aaroen.

Barden gathered James Scanlon’s deflected cross before Myles stepped into the centre of the park to whip an angled ball for Marcel McIntosh, but Guilherme Montoia’s cushioned pass for Aboh rolled through to Dermot Mee.

Barden was forced into the first stop of the game, with a parry at his near post from Hansen-Aaoren’s strike, before Montoia completed the clearance as the ball span across the Norwich goal line.

Another adventurous Montoia burst inadvertently led to United’s opener. When the Portuguese full back’s cross was cut out, and Myles unable to halt a flowing counter at source, Mather finished from close range with City scrambling to get numbers back down their left flank.

The lively Mather linked with Toby Collyer to slice Norwich open again in the 18th minute, but Barden was down sharply to gather his low effort from the edge of the penalty area.

Harry Brooke was booked for hauling down Mather moments later, who then got to his feet to punish the Canaries with a stunning 25-yard free kick into the top corner beyond Barden’s despairing dive.

Mather continued to torment City, with a quick change of feet losing Brooke before he drilled a low, left-footed effort wide of Barden’s near post midway through the opening period.

The Salford-bred attacker completed his rapid fire hat-trick in the 26th minute, when Barden parried Scanlon’s strike, but Mather was quickest to react to slot the rebound.

Montoia continued to be Norwich’s most prominent attacking outlet in the midst of Mather’s barrage. Aboh attacked a teasing near post cross in the 32nd minute, but Sonny Aljofree had tracked the forward’s run at the expense of a corner.

Huddlestone picked out the perfectly-timed burst of Sam Murray, but a heavy first touch tipped the scales in Barden’s favour as he raced out to collect.

McIntosh skied over five minutes before the interval, after clever feet from Pedro Lima had worked a rare opening in the United penalty box.

Aboh did pull one back in the final minute prior to the interval with a glimpse of his predatory finishing.

Montoia cut inside before linking with Lima, who clipped a ball into the left channel for Aboh to drive at his marker and step inside before crashing a low, right footed finish past Mee into his bottom corner from 16 yards.

City made a triple change at the break with Regan Riley, Finley Welch and Daniel Ogwuru replacing McIntosh, Brooke and Myles respectively.

Ogwuru was hauled down just outside the area within seconds of his arrival, but Gabriel Forsyth’s free kick from a tight angle flew wide.

Aboh skipped around Aljofree in the 54th minute, but his cutback for Ogwuru from the byline was intercepted.

Mather made it four two minutes from the hour mark with another slick counter led by Hansen-Aaroen, before the teenage used Riley as a screen to bend the ball past the unsighted Barden from 16 yards.

Riley looked more comfortable going forward in the 71st minute, when he curled an inviting cross towards Aboh, but United’s backline were quick to sense the danger to clear.

Ellis Craven replaced Barden for the final stages. Lima then advanced to the edge of the area but his tame effort lacked conviction as it drifted wide, in comparison to some of his thumping strikes in recent games.

The experienced Huddlestone gifted Norwich a second goal in the 76th minute, when he lazily lost possession inside his own area, and when Mee initially denied Lima, Manning arrived to sidefoot into the empty net from close range.

Aboh showed a rare lack of composure in the 80th minute, when he rifled over on the angle of the six yard box.

City substitute Joe Duffy scuffed a volley at Mee from Riley’s set with the Canaries still probing for more goals.

Manchester United Under-21s: Mee, Nolan, Murray, Jackson, Aljofree, Huddlestone, Scanlon (Missin, 59), Collyer ©, Wheatley (Ibragimov, 81), Hansen-Aaroen (McAllister, 90), Mather. Subs (not used): Mantato, Myles.

Goals: Mather (11, 20, 26, 58)

Norwich City Under-21s: Barden (Craven, 73), McIntosh (Riley, 45), Montoia, Wilson ©, Renecke, Brooke (Ogwuru, 45), Myles (Welch, 45), Manning, Aboh, Lima, Forsyth (Duffy, 63). Subs (all used).

Bookings: Brooke (foul on Mather, 19); Montoia (foul on Ibragimov, 90)

Goals: Aboh (45), Manning (76)

Added on time: 3 minutes / 4 minutes

Referee: James Westgate