The young Blues, led by Hassan Sulaiman, launched our FA Youth Cup 2025/26 campaign in style on Tuesday evening, producing a resilient and hard-fought performance to overcome Brentford in a thrilling west London derby.

Chelsea made a strong start at Wheatsheaf Park, with Kobe Barbour opening the scoring before Chizaram Ezenwata doubled our advantage. Brentford responded through Beau Redknapp to set up a tense finish, but the Blues showed maturity to see out the contest and secure progression into the fourth round of the prestigious academy competition.

Next up is a trip to Reading. The Royals booked their place in the fourth round following a dramatic third-round tie against Middlesbrough, drawing 2-2 before prevailing 7-6 in a penalty shootout.

Chelsea’s fourth-round FA Youth Cup tie against Reading will take place on Wednesday 14 January at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm.