Two Under 18 sides again did youth football proud with another high quality game but sadly for Chelsea, after taking an early lead, the home side fought back to be ahead by the break with a late goal putting the result beyond doubt.

It was a mirror image of the way the young Blues had overcome Aston Villa in the semi final. The good start came via an own-goal but like Chelsea at Villa Park, the side behind kept their nerve. Two evenly-matched sides were eventually separated by close range header followed by a free-kick and then a late penalty.

The game ended with a stoppage time red card for Chelsea midfielder Jacob Mellis.

Paul Clement selected a side unchanged from the first leg but the same could not be said for Man City. Daniel Sturridge, scorer at Stamford Bridge but injured playing for the home side's first team at the weekend, had failed a late fitness test.

Miroslav Stoch was the first Chelsea player to shoot - from 20 yards in the fourth minute, but the ball trundled the wrong side of the near post. A minute earlier, City winger Donal McDermott had crossed dangerously but no forward capitalised.

With the next Chelsea attack, the side in fluorescent yellow went ahead. Kakuta, almost inevitably, was involved, slotting a ball down the middle for Jacob Mellis to burst through the defence. The keeper saved the initial shot but fortune was not with the home team. The ball bounced against left-back Ryan McGivern and ricocheted into the net. There were just six minutes on the clock.

On 10 minutes, Taylor saved low down from David Ball after a good Man City move. Then Sturrridge's replacement, Robert Mak, warmed the Wales Under 21 keeper's hands from distance.

Kakuta's run and reverse ball appeared to have teed up Morten Nielsen on 14 minutes but McGivern tackled just as the young Danish centre-forward was about to shoot.

Chelsea were looking confident; City edgy, especially their keeper with the ball at his feet. But on 23 minutes, possession was lost when Kakuta's flick failed midway inside the home team's half. The counter ended with a Tutte shot that a diving Taylor saved.

City kept up the pressure and a minute later, Tutte from the right crossed with pace to the far post where captain Ben Mee rose to head the equaliser with 22 minutes gone.

McDermott was the next shoot, the City winger striking five yards over. The home side, playing in front of 19,783 at the City of Manchester Stadium, had settled down and were beginning to enjoy territorial advantage.

Chelsea captain and right-back Nana Ofori-Twumasi was booked after conceding a free kick five yards outside the Chelsea area.

From that 34th minute kick, Chelsea were further punished - Slovakian Vladimir Weiss, dangerous in the first leg, curling the ball beyond the reach of Taylor to make it 2-1.

Mellis, from Kaluta's lay-back, had a shot on 38 minutes but it was straight at Hartley. Then Kakata, from a similar position, accepted a pass from Nielsen but although the French 16-year-old's pass was dipping, it still cleared the target.

Kakuta was playing on the right of the front three, Stoch on the left in a reverse of the majority of the first leg. Stoch had the beating of his full-back with ease but frustratingly, had so far failed to deliver a killer pass of testing shot.

City looked to have sprung the offside with a long ball as half-time approached but Ofori-Twumasi raced back well to make an important saving tackle.

Half-time arrived with Chelsea trailing - but there were more goals in this once again enthralling encounter.

Chelsea began the second half well, first by winning a corner and then Tejera shooting not-too-far wide on the run after a fluid move.

An early change was made by Paul Clement, Adam Phillip on at centre-forward for Nielsen with 54 minutes played.

Mee became City's first booking for a late foul on Kakuta.

Chelsea weren't without possession in this middle section of the half but were looking a little short on ideas. A succession of corners was won but the keeper wasn't tested.

On 72 minutes schoolboy Frank Nouble was introduced to play wide right, left-back Ben Gordon withdrawn and Chelsea switching to a back three. Stoch moved central.

The young Blues were pressing high up the pitch and City began look stretched. Phillip was only inches away from converting Nouble's pass from wide and Kakuta on the other flank crossed with venom but just out of reach of Mellis.

On 85 minutes, came the moment that put the result beyond doubt. Chelsea had been awarded a corner but when that was eventually cleared, City broke the length of the pitch through Weiss. Inside the area, he was challenged by Tejera, perhaps too hastily as a shot wasn't immediately on. It was a foul and from the penalty spot, Ball made it 3-1.

Unfortunately the contest ended on a sour note when a long ball was chased by Phillip who reached but then collided with the keeper on the edge of the area. It was a good shout for a penalty or a red card for the keeper but as play continued, Mellis clattered into Kieran Tripper after the ball was gone and was sent off. The Man City full-back was subsequently carried off injured.

Youth team coach Paul Clement reflected on the match and the whole cup campaign afterwards, saying:

'It was another high quality game and the two legs of this and the two legs of the semi-final have all had plenty of talent on show.

'Both teams tonight played attacking football, I thought us more than them. They played more by banking up and then playing on the counter-attack, which they did well, but we didn't create as many chances as we would have liked. We had a couple of decent claims for penalties but it wasn't our night.

'The cup run as a whole has been a great experience, getting to the final has been a fantastic achievement - we are just disappointed we didn't make it through the final hurdle. We will take a lot out of it and it will put the players in a good frame of mind for the future, and I hope for long professional careers.

'For several of the players there will be another bite at it next year - and for a couple of schoolboys another two bites. We will get the lads togther tomorrow, reflect on the experience, what was good, what they learned from it, and move on.'

Chelsea (4-3-3): Rhys Taylor; Nana Ofori-Twumasi (c), Jeffrey Bruma, Patrick van Aanholt, Ben Gordon (Frank Nouble 72); Michael Woods, Sergio Tejera, Jacob Mellis; Miroslav Stoch Morten Nielsen (Adam Phillip 54), Gaël Kakuta.
Scorer McGivern o.g. 6
Sent-off Mellis 90+1.
Booked Ofori-Twumasi 33, Tejera 85.

Man City (4-4-2): Greg Hartley; Kieran Tripper (Abdisalam Ibrahim 90+5), Dedmane Boyota (Angelos Tsiaklis 81), Ben Mee (c), Ryan McGivern; Vladimir Weiss, Andrew Tuttle, Scott Kay, Donal McDermott; David Ball, Robert Mak.
Scorer Mee 22, Weiss 34, Ball 85 (pen).
Booked Mee 60