Huddersfield Town 4 Manchester United Under-21s 1: Rhys Healey the head boy as striker wins Terriers' most important individual battle

During it, Rhys Healey stuck his hand up for one of them.

This competition has a big shiny trophy and a Wembley final but in its early stages it is more about personal causes and development than any of that. The Terriers beat Manchester United Under-21s 4-1 to pass into the last 32 at their expense, but Healey was the big winner.

Scoring once and making another, Ben Wiles was Huddersfield's best player on the night but in personal terms, this was a dead rubber for him – his place in the XI is pretty secure at this point of the season.

The same is not yet true for Healey. Thanks mainly, it must be said, to injury, Healey goals are like rural buses – you wait six months for one and two come along at once.

This one showed the instincts of a proper centre-forward, running to the near post to bullet in the header that turned this match decisively his team's way as they kicked away from a team who have shown a strong finish in previous group stage matches.

Huddersfield tried a new shape from kick-off with four at the back and a midfield diamond. In front of it, Healey and Bojan Radulovic were starting together for the first time under Michael Duff. The midfield flattened as the half went on, and the back four became a more familiar three in the second half.

The skills of the Manchester United youngsters bubbled to the surface from time to time, never more so than in their goal, but both sides pressed well and the League One players matched their opponents in the first half before kicking away from them in the second.

Mickel Miller forced a save inside 20 seconds, Healey putting the rebound into the side netting. That said, Ethan Williams had an early shot (over) too when Huddersfield lost the ball in midfield.

Radulovic and Healey both shot wide and when Ethan Ennis produced an outside-of-the-boot cross, Huddersfield left-back Nigel Linwijk cleared.

It was Huddersfield who took the lead, with a howitzer from Wiles.

Derby County manager Paul Warne, watching from the director's box, knows only too well how good Wiles is at shooting from distance having seen him smash one into the Wembley net in the final of this competition for Rotherham United two years ago.

So when Wiles had time to pick his spot from 25 yards as Ollie Turton squared, there was no question what he would do,

The game had a bit of an edge with Tom Iorpenda limping off inside 20 minutes and the visitors £1m plater Sekou Kone did not last the half either, although he had time to pick up a booking for a hefty tackle of his own.

Herbie Kane and David Kasumu – Iorpenda's substitute – both won the ball pressing in the final third, but neither materialised into a chance. In between time, though, Radulovic wasted an excellent one, seemingly allowing Miller's wonderful cross to go through him.

Huddersfield were made to pay for it, Ennis crossing for Victor Musa to finish with an audacious backheel.

Sometimes you just have to shrug your shoulders and accept that, but what Michael Duff will have found unacceptable was Habeeb Ogunneye outmuscling Miller all too easily to allow him to find Ennis.

Huddersfield could have responded immeidately, but Turton could not keep his shot from Matty Pearson's pass on target.

If Healey had a good night, Radulovic did not. Good though Miller's 47th-minute cross was, he just had to backtrack enough that he could only head it across into a clump of red shirts, rather than find the net.

In fairness to the Serbian his last contribution of note was a dangerous cross Tyler Fredricsson did well to head over his own bar.

Miller looked like he ought to have had a penalty after 58 minutes as he checked back at the byline. Ogunneye's trailing leg seemed to catch him but referee Dale Baines seemed to think the winger had slipped. Duff's arguments to the contrary got him a booking.

Healey rendered it academic when he got on the end of a lovely Wiles cross. Still perhaps readjusting to the addition of a third centre-back, the Red Devils gave him welcome breathing space to finish.

It left the youngsters vulnerable to the counter attack but substitute Danny Ward and Wiles both shot wildly, the former not helped by a heavy touch as he took the latter's pass.

But in the final seconds of regulation time Kasumu won the ball near halfway, carried it forward and calmly exchanged a one-two with Wiles before finding the net.

Tom Lees put the cherry on the top with the penultimate touch of the game – Baines cruelly made Manchester United kick off – to head in Miller's corner in the seventh added minute.

Huddersfield Town: Chapman; Turton, Pearson, Helik (Lees 65), Lonwijk; Kane; Iorpenda (Kasumu 20); Wiles, Miller; Healey (Ladapo 73), Radulovic (Ward 65).

Unused substitutes: Maxwell, Headley, Hurl.

Manchester United Under-21s: Mee; Ogunneye (Moorhouse 75), Kingdon, Fredricson, Malacia (Amass HT); Kone (McAllister 42), Rowe; Ennis, Fitzgerland (Mather 75), Williams (Missin 65), Musa.

Unused substitutes: Graczyk, Jackson.

Referee: D Baines.