Ezenwata broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when he was in the right place at the right time to capitilise on Jack Stevens’ spill. He made it two just a few minutes later with a cultured finish in front of the away supporters.

CNG held their own against senior opposition Reading, defending in solid fashion when needed before launching attacks of their own. We chased a third in the second half, but in the end our early goals were enough to secure the win.

Ezenwata’s quickfire brace

Chelsea managed to settle into the game after absorbing Reading’s attacking waves in the initial phases. After 21 minutes, the Blues were rewarded for their patience with a first goal of the evening.

Harrison Bettoni picked up the ball out on the right and darted towards goal. He beat his defender before unleashing a powerful strike which was subsequently spilled by Reading goalkeeper Stevens. The ball fell at Ezenwata’s feet, and the CNG striker made no mistake from close range.

Ezenwata doubled his tally and our advantage only four minutes later. Leo Black marked his EFL Trophy debut for Chelsea with an assist, as he dispossessed Conor Masterson before playing a pass into Ezenwata.

The 18-year-old buried his strike through the legs of Stevens to make it 2-0. Ezenwata could have had a first-half hat-trick had it not been for the offside flag, after he dinked the ball over Stevens and into the back of the net.

Bernal with some impressive saves

While there was plenty to be pleased with in attack for Chelsea, goalkeeper Freddy Bernal made some top stops both before and after we took the lead.

Reading’s early chances didn’t really trouble Bernal, but he met their strong efforts equally as assured. The pick of the bunch came in the 36th minute when Daniel Kyerewaa’s thunderous strike seemed destined for the bottom-left corner. Bernal got across well and turned the shot away, before meeting the consequent corner first and palming the ball away from danger.

Bettoni close to making it three

Bettoni came close to extending our lead even further on a number of occasions. Sol Gordon’s cross towards the back post found the Chelsea forward, whose shot was just wide.

He had another effort denied by Stevens, earning a corner. Bettoni created some good chances for his team-mates too, in particular Black. The 19-year-old played the ball into Black’s path, allowing him to strike the ball first time and forcing the goalkeeper into an unorthodox save with his feet.

Bettoni was unable to get his name on the scoresheet but Ezenwata’s first-half contributions were enough to send Chelsea back home with our first win in the EFL Trophy this season.

What it means...

The result means Chelsea finish the group stage with five points, putting us in second place in Group F. We will await other results to confirm our progression to the next round.

What's next?

Cobham Next Gen return to league action on Friday 16 October, when we face Stoke City at Clayton Wood Training Ground. The fixture kicks off at 7pm and can be watched live with a CFC+ subscription.

The teams

Chelsea: 50. Freddy Bernal; 56. Alfie Osborne, 48. Justin Osagie, 37. Olutayo Subuloye (C); 31. Reggie Watson, 51. Leo Black, 46. Kendry Paez (32. Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli 61), 47. Harrison McMahon; 52. Harrison Bettoni, 62. Chizaram Ezenwata, 55. Sol Gordon
Unused substitutes: 60. Toby Bell, 61. Mathis Eboue, 66. Ibrahim Rabbaj, 69. Dante Waite, 74. Heze Grimwade, 85. Kian Best
Scorers: Ezenwata 21, 25
Booked: Bettoni 79, Waton 91, McMahon 91

Manager: Harry Hudson

Reading: 25. Jack Stephens; 39. Ashqar Ahmed, 20. Josh Knight (42. Boyd Beacroft 77), 23. Conor Masterson, 3. Jeriel Dorsett; 43. David Hicks (50. Jerae Jones 56), 6. Liam Fraser; 14. Randell Williams (37. Luke Howard 81), 8. Charlie Savage (c), 11. Daniel Kyerewaa (49. Emmanuel Osho 81); 18. Jacob Brown (55. Reece Evans 77)
Unused subs: 48. Matt Rowley, 65. Kevin Mfuamba

Manager: Leam Richardson