Chelsea's youths were beaten at home by Crystal Palace on Saturday, despite having much of the play and hitting the woodwork three times.
Chelsea's youths were beaten 3-0 at home by Crystal Palace on Saturday, despite having much of the play and hitting the woodwork three times.
The Blues fell behind early on, and despite creating chances could not manage a goal, even missing a penalty at the end of the first half, while Palace were clinical in front of goal, profiting from more than their share of luck.
Chelsea came into the game in third place, one point and one placing above the visitors, who could argue a game in hand. Recent form had been mixed, with a 3-1 defeat at West Ham last weekend bringing a three-game unbeaten streak to an end.
On a bright Cobham morning, Chelsea began this one well, moving the ball from side to side, and it was only 90 seconds before the ball was in the Palace net, only for an offside flag to rule out the goal.
The following few minutes followed a similar pattern with the Blues in control, yet the first opportunity fell to a powerful-looking Palace side, as a simple through ball cut through the Chelsea defence. Fortunately on this occasion the Palace forward slotted wide of the post rather than inside it.
The first goal came with Palace's next attack on 10 minutes. A quick free-kick was half cleared from the Chelsea area, but fell kindly to a Palace midfielder, whose well-struck shot was deflected past an unsighted Aldi Haxhia in the Chelsea goal.
Chelsea responded well, the deficit failing to alter the patient approach, though at times it was a little untidier than was needed. The Palace keeper showed safe hands from Marko Mitrovic's effort, before Billy Clifford curled a shot onto the post. The game promised more goals.
Haxhia produced a smart low save to prevent a second Palace goal on the breakaway, before Gokhan Tore, who had temporarily switched to the Chelsea right, shot just wide at the other end.
Palace almost struck lucky a second time, when another long-range deflected shot crept just past the post, and perhaps Chelsea were still wondering how it had gone wide when the corner was taken. Marking was lax and Palace were able to sweep home a second with the game 25 minutes old.
Still Chelsea showed no signs of giving in. Clifford flicked Tore's free-kick onto the crossbar with his head, before then shooting hard against the bar again, this time from range. Once is unlucky, three times by one player, in one half, is a little laughable. Just to emphasise this emerging dark comedy, the Surrey skies had turned from blue to grey.
A stroke of luck did finally arrive though, when Mitrovic tangled legs with a defender in the Palace area, and the ref pointed to the spot, allowing the forward a chance to hit the net.
His penalty was struck low to the keeper's left, exactly where the stopper guessed, and he pushed it away, blocking the rebound too, a real choker for Dermot Drummy's men just moments before the half-time whistle.
At the break, Chelsea made two changes with Bobby Devyne and Tom Hayden replacing Milan Lalkovic and Clifford.
Devyne went to the right flank where Lalkovic had begun the game, while Hayden, normally a defender, slotted into Clifford's midfield berth.
Just five minutes into the second period, it was Hayden that surrendered possession just inside the Palace half, and despite tracking his man all the way back to the edge of the Chelsea box, could not deliver and effective tackle. With half a yard of space, the strike from the Palace midfielder was emphatic, leaving Haxhia with no chance and the Blues with a long way back.
A deep Billy Knott free-kick caught the wind and beat the keeper on 55 minutes, only to then bounce over the bar too, before Drummy made a third change - Aziz Deen-Conteh on at left-back, Knott moved up to midfield and Anton Rodgers sacrificed.
Tore, playing at the top of the midfield diamond, was beginning to look effective, his sharp footwork foxing opponents time and again. The young Turk rifled a shot inches wide as he looked to galvanise his side. Plenty of time still remained, and with a strong wind blowing towards the away goal, Chelsea were likely to have chances.
Mitrovic nodded wide, Knott had a shot ricochet over and Mills Pappoe headed over but the breakthrough never arrived. Just before the final whistle Devyne was denied by the impressive Palace goalkeeper, who was probably his side's man of the match, and Mills Pappoe had another header cleared off the line.
It is the first time this season any Chelsea side, youth, reserve or first team, has suffered back-to-back defeats, a trend the Academy must now wait a fortnight for with no game next weekend.
Their next fixture is away at Arsenal on Saturday, December 5.
Chelsea: Aldi Haxhia; Ben Sampayo, Danny Mills Pappoe, Kenny Strickland (c), Billy Knott; George Saville, Milan Lalkovic (Tom Hayden h-t), Billy Clifford (Bobby Devyne h-t), Anton Rodgers (Aziz Deen-Conteh 55), Marko Mitrovic, Gokhan Tore.
