We started our Under 18 Premier League game brightly, dominating possession and putting Fulham under pressure, pushing them back into their own box and we eventually broke the deadlock with a superb team move.

Kobe Barbour, who was lively from the start, sprinted down the wing to deliver a perfect cross which Sol Gordon lobbed towards Frankie Runham, who tapped the ball into the bottom corner after collecting the rebound from a saved effort, giving the Blues the advantage at half-time. -time.

After the restart we maintained that energy, which led to a penalty following a handball in the box. Our captain for the afternoon, Ollie Harrison, stepped up and sent the ball straight into the back of the net, leaving the Fulham keeper helpless due to the power behind the shot.

Although Fulham’s Tom Wingate scored following a quick counter-attack, putting the ball out of Hudson Sands’ reach, we showed character to maintain our advantage and emerged victorious in the grudge match.

Create momentum

The west London derby began with fierce intensity as Chelsea advanced from the first whistle, applying constant pressure on Fulham.

The young Blues looked lively and cohesive, working as a compact unit to pin down our Saturday morning opponents deep in their own half. Harrison linked up smoothly with Genesis Antwi, who charged down the wing and sent in dangerous crosses that went close to goal.

Chelsea’s threat only grew as the team showed some fine link-up play. Antwi, a powerhouse on the flank, sprinted into space and delivered a pass to Runham in the box. But despite coming close to scoring, Runham’s shot crashed into the side netting, missing another opportunity to open the scoring.

The confidence of the young Blues was growing rapidly. Barbour stormed up the pitch, finding open space and charging towards the box, he unleashed a powerful strike, but it flew over the crossbar, narrowly missing an early lead.

At this point it was all Chelsea, with the Blues relentlessly pressuring the Fulham defense. Leo Cardoso added to the action, using quick footwork to force his way into the box. He cut inside his defender and unleashed a powerful shot, but the effort drifted wide, giving Fulham a narrow escape.

Barbour came close once again when Gordon intercepted a loose ball and made a run forward, setting up Barbour with a perfect pass. But his shot was quickly smothered by Fulham goalkeeper Marco Underwood, who protected the goal well.

Even though Chelsea dominated possession, Fulham gradually began to settle into the game. Aidan Evans managed to force his way into our area, but a strong defensive partnership between Antwi and Joseph Wheeler-Henry held firm, winning the ball back and eliminating any danger.

Hard work pays off

Eventually, Chelsea’s persistence paid off and the well-deserved lead arrived. The goal came from some brilliant team play which started with a run from Barbour down the wing. He made a looping cutback on Gordon, who launched a header into the area. Runham was waiting and, although his first effort was saved, he calmly tapped in the rebound, slotting it into the bottom corner to break the deadlock.

Runham quickly had another chance to score when Calvin Diakite passed to him in the box. This time, Runham attempted a chipped shot but Underwood reacted quickly, catching the attempt to prevent Chelsea from doubling our lead.

The young Blues continued to make things difficult for the Cottagers, determined to take advantage of our momentum before the break.

Captain Harrison had the last real chance of the first half, unleashing a shot from outside the box which bounced just wide, sending Chelsea into the interval with a well-deserved 1-0 lead.

From the place

Chelsea started the second half with the same intensity and it paid off instantly. Runham danced inside the box and as he made his cutback during a scoring chance, the ball struck Alfie White’s hands, prompting the referee to instantly point to the spot.

Harrison rose calmly and sent the ball straight into the bottom corner with such power that it slipped through the gloves of the Fulham keeper, extending our advantage.

Fulham stepped up their aggression to try to bring the score back. Our freshman goalkeeper Sands was called into action when Macaulay Zepa produced a curling effort from distance that looked destined for the top corner. But the young Blues goalkeeper jumped and repelled the effort with his fingertips.

With this momentum, Fulham eventually hit back with a quick counter-attack, finding the back of the net from a Wingate strike after Farhaan Ali Wahid fed him a quick ball. The Cottagers forward was in open space, able to control it and shoot straight into the corner, beating Sands at the near post.

In response, Hassan Sulaiman turned to his bench to cool down in hopes of adding more energy – and that’s exactly what he did.

Schoolboy Ryan Kavuma-McQueen showed good work on the wing and fired a low shot, but it rolled just wide, denying him a place on the scoresheet. Another opportunity came from a Chelsea free kick. It was Cardoso’s corner, which Fulham tried to clear. Defender Wheeler-Henry collected it and tried his luck, but the shot went over the crossbar.

As we entered the final stages of our Under-18 Premier League match, Cardoso had a promising chance. He burst into the penalty area, past the white-clad players and fired a shot at goal, but the Fulham keeper did well to block it and deflect it away.

The final minutes of our home game were almost end-to-end, with both teams creating chances. The Blues held on and showed resilience, particularly defending a Logan Cooke header from close range which nodded narrowly, ensuring all three points in this London derby were ours.

This ensures a successful start to the weekend for the Academy, with the Under-21s and now the Under-18s winning their respective London derbies.

What’s next

Chelsea will return to action next Saturday, traveling to face Norwich in the Under-18 Premier League. The match starts at 11 a.m. Fans around the world can watch the match for free on the official Chelsea app and website. Access the live stream via the Norwich Under-18s match center against Chelsea Under-18s.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hudson Sands; Genesis Antwi, Joseph Wheeler-Henry, Olutayo Subuloye, Calvin Diakite; Landon Emenalo (Charlie Holland 75), Ollie Harrison (c); Leo Cardoso, Frankie Runham, Kobe Barbour (Ryan Kavuma-McQueen 53 years old); Sol Gordon (Yahya Idrissi 89)
Unused submarines: Freddy Bernal, Harry McGlinchey
Scorers: Runham 32, Harrison 50
Reserve: Antwi 22 years old, Emenalo 28 years old, Runham 56 years old, Charlie Holland 76 years old

Fulham (4-3-3): Marco Underwood (c) (Dino Kaiser 73), Alex Faux, Luca Picotto, Logan Cooke, Quinn Schutter (Archie Taylor 62), Ruban Khan, Macaulay Zepa, Alfie White, Tom Wingate, Aidan Evans (Bashil Lubega 67), Farhaan Ali Wahid
Unused submarines: Dylan Degale, Harley Platel
Scorer: Wingate 60
Reserve: White 44, Wingate 60