Hassan Sulaiman’s side put in a dominant display from start to finish, securing back-to-back Under-18 Premier League with five different goalscorers on the scoresheet at Cobham on Saturday afternoon.
From the very first whistle, the Blues were determined to take all three points. Sol Gordon opened the scoring with a composed one-on-one finish, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
Chelsea continued to dominate on home soil and were rewarded again just before the interval. In first-half stoppage time, Lewi Richards struck to double the advantage, sending the Blues into the break with a deserved 2-0 lead.
The second half began in perfect fashion. Just three minutes after the restart, Olutayo Subuloye rose highest from a corner and powered a thumping header home to make it three.
Villa pulled one back through Jack McGrath, but the Blues responded immediately. Substitute Ibrahim Rabbaj made an instant impact, finding the net from close range within minutes of coming on.
To round off a fine afternoon, striker Chizaram Ezentwata was brought down inside the box and confidently converted the resulting penalty himself. It was the perfect way to seal a commanding performance and secure a second straight league victory for the Under-18s to start the new campaign.
On the front foot
Our young Blues made a bright start to this home fixture, immediately putting Aston Villa under pressure. Ezentwata set the tone early with his energy around the box, pressing the visitors’ defence and forcing them into mistakes.
The first real opening came inside 10 minutes. Mathis Eboue found space on the edge of the area and drilled a low strike towards goal. His effort looked destined for the bottom corner, but a fingertip save from the Villa goalkeeper pushed it onto the post.
We went close again soon after, this time through a sharp piece of link-up play. Gordon, lively from the outset, slipped a clever through ball into the path of schoolboy Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, who unleashed a thunderous strike that rattled the crossbar. As the rebound dropped, Kobe Barbour looked set to score, but Villa keeper Rhys Oakley reacted quickly to claim the ball. It was promising play from Chelsea and the pressure continued to mount.
That pressure told midway through the half. Barbour floated a delightful chipped ball over the Villa backline, which Gordon brought down with supreme control. Faced with a one-on-one, he kept his composure and coolly slotted into the bottom corner to put the Blues in front.
With confidence growing, we continued to push forward. Just before the half-hour mark, Barbour again went close. Showing quick footwork on the edge of the box, he created space for himself and unleashed a venomous strike that looked bound for the net, only for a Villa defender to deflect it wide.
Nicoll-Jazuli remained a constant threat. Another slick move saw Gordon spot Richards bursting down the right. The full-back drove forward and cut the ball back perfectly for Nicoll-Jazuli, who met it first time, but his effort flew narrowly over the bar.
About time!
As the first half drew to a close, Barbour drove forward once more, weaving through Villa’s midfield before testing the keeper with a powerful strike that was beaten away. The Blues looked full of intent, and it felt only a matter of time before the advantage was extended.
That breakthrough came in first-half stoppage time. Gordon was again at the heart of the move, sliding a clever pass into Nicoll-Jazuli inside the area. His initial effort was parried, but Richards reacted quickest to the loose ball and thumped his finish into the bottom corner. It was a well-deserved reward that sent us into the interval two up.
We want more
The Blues began the second half with the same intensity that had brought us success before the break. Barbour made an early impact down the wing, cutting the ball back into the box for Ezentwata, whose powerful strike was bravely blocked by a Villa defender.
That chance set the tone - and from the resulting corner, we struck again. Richards delivered a dangerous ball into the area, where Dante Waite rose first to keep it alive. Just behind him, our towering defender Subuloye climbed highest and powered a header into the net to make it 3-0.
Confidence continued to flow through the team. Eboue soon tried his luck from distance, unleashing a fierce left-footed drive that looked destined for the top corner, only for Villa keeper Oakley to tip it wide at full stretch.
But the we were relentless, and the fourth goal wasn’t far away. Richards, already on the scoresheet, struck again - this time directly from a corner. His curling delivery sailed over the crowd in the box, struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced over the line, extending our advantage.
Villa briefly got on the scoresheet when Gordon was penalised for a foul on Finlay Barnard inside the area. From the resulting spot-kick, McGrath stepped up and calmly sent Freddy Bernal the wrong way.
Quickfire response
The young Blues responded immediately. From a free-kick just outside the box, Ezentwata curled a strike against the post. The rebound fell perfectly for substitute Rabbaj, who reacted quickest to slot the ball home unmarked, restoring the four-goal cushion.
We weren’t finished. Another golden opportunity came when we were awarded a penalty. Ezentwata was brought down inside the area by substitute Jacob Green, and the referee pointed straight to the spot.
Ezentwata stepped up with calm composure, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and finishing into the bottom corner. It was a perfect way to round off a dominant afternoon at Cobham.
What's next
Chelsea Under-18s will return from the international break on Saturday 13 September, with a London derby away at Arsenal. Kick-off is at 11am at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, and the match will be available to watch on the Chelsea Official App and website.
The teams
Chelsea (4-3-3): Freddy Bernal; Lewi Richards, Dante Waite, Olutayo Subuloye (c) (Jacob Hall 82), Calvin Diakite (Harry McGlinchey 83); Isaac Badu, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, Mathis Eboue; Sol Gordon (Joel Philbert 72), Chizaram Ezenwata, Kobe Barbour (Ibrahim Rabbaj 67)Unused sub: Isaac CollinsonScorers: Gordon 20, Richards 45+1, 65, Subuloye 48, Rabbaj 70, Ezenwata (P) 84Booked: Subuloye 9, Badu 57
Aston Villa: Rhys Oakley, Junior Wilson, Harry Pinnell (Jacob Green 71), Farid Addey, Finlay Barnard, Woody Burgess (c), Clay Atkins, Jack McGrath, Markie Meade (Lennon Melhuish 61), Vinnie Hayward (Jahmi Kellyman 61), Ollie Bindley (Joshua Blake 80)Unused sub: Theo HoustonScorer: McGrath (P) 68Booked: Burgess 54, Barnard 69