Arsenal closed the gap at the top of the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Division 2 on Saturday, comfortably defeating hosts Stoke City 3-1 at the Moss Rose Ground.
The victory boosted the Gunners' chances of promotion to Division 1, leaving the north London giants only a point from the summit behind Villa and pacesetters Derby County.
Sunderland continue to lead the top league and remain three points clear of Manchester United in Division 1. However, the Red Devils have three games in-hand on the Black Cats.
Here is the confirmation of Saturday's result, including updated standings and forthcoming matches:
| Division 1 | |||||||||
| POS | CLUB | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Sunderland U21 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 28 |
| 2 | Man Utd U21 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
| 3 | Spurs U21 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 32 | 33 | -1 | 19 |
| 4 | Man City U21 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 18 |
| 5 | Reading U21 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 25 | -1 | 18 |
| 6 | Everton U21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 17 |
| 7 | Chelsea U21 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 14 |
| 8 | Southampton U21 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 20 | 27 | -7 | 14 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough U21 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 13 |
| 10 | Norwich U21 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 24 | -6 | 12 |
| 11 | Liverpool U21 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 12 |
| 12 | Leicester U21 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 35 | -19 | 9 |
| Division 2 | |||||||||
| POS | CLUB | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Derby U21 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 18 | 13 | 28 |
| 2 | Aston Villa U21 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 23 | -3 | 28 |
| 3 | Arsenal U21 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 27 |
| 4 | West Brom U21 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 24 |
| 5 | West Ham U21 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 23 |
| 6 | Stoke U21 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 22 |
| 7 | Swansea U21 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 17 |
| 8 | Blackburn U21 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 17 |
| 9 | Newcastle U21 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 17 |
| 10 | Fulham U21 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 17 |
| 11 | Wolves U21 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 8 |
| 12 | Brighton U21 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 25 | -17 | 7 |
| Date | Time (GMT) | Fixture |
| Jan. |