Chelsea Under-21s left everything on the pitch at the Proctor Cars Stadium on Friday evening, delivering a dominant performance with three goals in each half to ensure all three Premier League 2 points returned to Cobham with us.
After the disappointment the last time we faced Derby County in October, when a defeat resulted in us dropping our first points of this season's Premier League Cup group stage, our Under-21s knew we had to bring our best performance – and we did just that**.**
Derby actually took an early lead with a goal from Johnson Osong, but we quickly responded, starting when Kaiden Wilson scored his first goal of the season with a powerful strike after keeper Harry Evans spilled the ball.
A familiar link-up between Harvey Vale and Deivid Washington saw the former's free-kick met by the Brazilian striker's header to put us ahead, and our No9 scored again before half-time with another header from a Vale cross, making it 3-1.
Early in the second half, Derby pulled one back through Conor Washington, but we kept pushing. Kiano Dyer scored his first goal of the 2024/25 campaign, followed by Donnell McNeilly adding another. Substitute Jimmy-Jay Morgan completed the win with a simple finish, rounding off a brilliant 6-2 victory and our second win in four days.
Tough start
Our Friday night fixture under the floodlights at the Rams' home ground began at a fast pace. The hosts set the tone early by testing Chelsea with a quick attack. Osong struck a powerful shot from distance that seemed destined to escape our goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom, but the ball narrowly bounced wide of the far post.
However, Osong didn’t have to wait long to find the net. Moments later, the forward capitalised on a rebound inside the box by reactin quickest to smash it home. Bergstrom had reacted well to Cruz Allen’s initial powerful strike as he dived quickly to make the save, but the ball was pushed out to Osong and he made no mistake in putting Derby ahead.
After a frantic start, the game began to settle as we gradually found our rhythm on the away ground. Midfielder Dyer impressed with his ability to carry the ball upfield, weaving through Derby's defence. Deivid had Chelsea’s first chance with a flicked header, but it lacked the power to trouble Evans in goal.
Another opportunity followed for Deivid. It started with our captain Vale, who held his ground well in the box and set up the Brazilian to strike a powerful volley, but Evans made another fine save.
The momentum swung back to the hosts as Jaydan Davidson surged into Chelsea’s area, but defender Brodi Hughes stepped up with a crucial block, sparing Bergstrom from making another save.
Blues fight back
Chelsea continued to push and were soon rewarded with an equaliser through Wilson. He reacted quickly to a Vale corner that Evans fumbled and fired the loose ball into the net, benefiting from the Derby keeper’s sight being partially blocked by the scramble in front of him.
Our confidence grew from there and the team pulled ahead just before half-time, via another brilliant set-piece. Vale delivered a superb free-kick from the left and Deivid rose to meet it with a perfect header into the top corner. It was an enjoyable moment for those in blue, showing our determination and passion for the comeback.
Right before the break, the same duo struck again in similar fashion. Vale, this time from the right in open play, whipped another ball into the penalty area, where Deivid leaped to nod it past the onrushing keeper. Chelsea had recovered excellently to enter the break with a commanding 3-1 lead.
Back out to battle
We came out of the dressing room for the second half as we had left off at the end of the first – playing with intensity. Skillful winger Tyrique George showed his flair as he danced his way into the box and tested Evans at his near post with a stinging low strike.
But a shift in possession allowed Derby to regain control and stop our momentum. A Rams corner was almost caught by our keeper in a crowd, but the ball slipped from his hands and Conor Washington was in the right place to score with his right foot from very close range before anyone else could react.
A close call soon followed, when the home team thought they had secured an equaliser. Allen stepped up to take a free-kick just outside the area and his powerful shot looked destined for goal as it squeezed through our wall, but it drifted inches past the post into the side-netting.
No holding back
We knew we had to extend our lead and that's exactly what we did. George was unlucky after making a brilliant run down the wing then unleashing a spinning ball towards goal, but the shot slammed against the crossbar, denying him a place on the scoresheet.
With the pressure applied again, we broke down the Derby defence. Dyer, who had been a constant threat right from the beginning, beat Evans with a low shot through a crowded box that found the back of the net, after George spotted him. The shot was hit with accuracy from outside the box, adding our fourth of the evening.
McNeilly fancied a bit of the action and was next to put the ball in the back of the net, feeling it was about time after his endless sprinting and creative work pushing upfield had played a big part in securing our lead. The forward used a combination of speed and strength to barge his way through defenders into the penalty box, before delivering a low strike that squeezed past Evans.
The travelling Chelsea fans were entertained again as McNeilly, right in the heart of the action, flicked the ball to Morgan. The substitute effortlessly maneuvered inside the area, cutting past a Derby defender to his right and slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner, leaving the wrong-footed Derby keeper with no chance of making a save.
We continued to dominate for the remainder of the league fixture, including five minutes of injury time, ensuring all three points were secured and brought back to Cobham.
What's next?
Chelsea Under-21s will take a brief pause before resuming Premier League 2 action on Monday 16 December, when we travel north to face Newcastle United away in a 7pm kick-off.
The teams
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Lucas Bergstrom; Brodi Hughes (Richard Olise 71), Harrison Murray-Campbell, Kaiden Wilson (Josh Acheampong 68), Ishe Samuels-Smith; Kiano Dyer, Harvey Vale (c); Shumaira Mheuka (Samuel Rak-Sakyi 71), Donnell McNeilly, Tyrique George (Ato Ampah 78); Deivid Washington (Jimmy-Jay Morgan 68)Scorers: Wilson 33, Deivid 41, 45, Dyer 67, McNeilly 78, Morgan 87Booked: Murray-Campbell 81
Derby County (4-2-3-1): Harry Evans, Joe Ward (Jack Perry 78), Freddie Turley, Darren Robinson, Jake Rooney (c), Kei Robinson, Jaydan Davidson (Emmanuel Ilesanmi h-t), Tawanda Chirewa (Harry Hawkins h-t), Conor Washington (Niall McAndrew 65), Cruz Allen, Johnson OsongUnused sub: Jack ThompsonScorers: Osong 4, Washington 54