It was clear from the first whistle that Calum McFarlane's Under-21s were determined to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointment against Stoke City in Premier League 2.

Today, despite controlling much of the first half and creating several promising opportunities, the breakthrough didn’t come, and the sides went into the interval goalless.

We had to show patience and resilience in the second half, and a key substitution from head coach McFarlane helped shift the momentum. With just four minutes remaining, Jesse Derry made the decisive impact, heading home from a well-worked set-piece to score his second goal of the season and hand the Blues a deserved lead.

The result sees us return to winning ways and record our fourth league victory of the campaign - a timely boost heading into the October international break.

Solid start

Chelsea started brightly at the Burnley Training Centre, applying early pressure and dominating possession in the opening stages.

The first big chance of the afternoon almost produced the breakthrough. Leo Cardoso, lively from the off, surged forward and picked out Ato Ampah on the flank. The winger delivered a teasing cross into the box, where Samuel Rak-Sakyi rose well to glance a header just wide - a promising opportunity and an early warning for the hosts.

We continued to press and soon forced Burnley goalkeeper Oisin Cooney into his first save. Dujuan Richards cut inside from the left and drove a low effort towards goal, but Cooney was equal to it, getting down well to hold.

We went even closer moments later. Cardoso, again involved, whipped in an excellent cross from the left that found Kaiden Wilson, whose towering header beat the keeper but struck the post. It was another clear sign of the pressure Chelsea were piling on.

Despite our dominance, Burnley remained a threat on the counter. Joe Bevan led a swift break and squared the ball to Kamarni Ryan, who found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Max Merrick. Fortunately, the forward couldn't make a clean connection and the ball rolled harmlessly out of play.

As the half progressed, Burnley began to settle and enjoyed more time on the ball. One moment of concern came when Kian McMahon-Brown caused problems inside the area. Following a challenge involving Wilson, the hosts appealed for a penalty, but the referee waved play on.

Approaching the break, Merrick showed excellent command of his area by punching clear a dangerous inswinging corner delivered by Ellis Clark, keeping the scores level.

We finished the half on the front foot with one final opportunity. Ampah's corner was flicked on at the near post by Harrison Murray-Campbell and found Shumaira Mheuka, who directed a close-range header on target. However, it lacked the power to beat Cooney, who gathered comfortably.

Despite creating the better chances, we went in level at the break.

Determined to find a breakthrough

Just like in the first half, we started the second period brightly, pressing forward immediately in search of the opener.

The first chance came from Ampah, who surged down the flank before cutting inside and curling a dangerous effort just wide of the far post.

Moments later, Cardoso was awarded a free-kick in a promising position. The winger delivered a teasing ball into the box, causing confusion among the Burnley defence, but goalkeeper Cooney stayed alert and punched clear under pressure.

Looking to sustain the attacking momentum, McFarlane made an early change, bringing on winger Derry for Ampah to inject fresh energy down the wing.

Despite our control, the Clarets posed a threat from a set-piece. A corner swung into the near post found defender Murray Campbell, whose close-range effort cannoned off the woodwork. It was a scare for Chelsea - and a lucky escape.

We responded quickly. Rak-Sakyi continued to impress with his quick feet inside the box, twisting and turning past defenders to carve out space. His powerful strike flew just over the crossbar, narrowly missing the target.

Derry, who had been a constant threat down the wing, delivered another dangerous ball into the box moments earlier that nearly opened the scoring. His cross found Mheuka, whose header bounced just wide - our closest chance of the half at that point.

Super sub!

Finally, the breakthrough arrived!

Substitute Kian Best curled in a superb deep free-kick which found Harrison Murray-Campbell unmarked at the far post. The defender showed great composure to bring the ball down and calmly set up Derry, who made no mistake, heading into the net to give Chelsea a deserved lead with just four minutes of normal time remaining.

The momentum continued, and we nearly doubled our advantage a minute later. Mheuka received the ball in space and fired a left-footed strike that beat the goalkeeper but struck the post, denying us a second.

Every player battled until the final whistle, and when it came, there was relief and celebration as we secured all three points on the road. It was a hard-earned and well-deserved win to take back to Cobham.

What's next

Following the October international break, our next Premier League 2 match will be a London derby against Arsenal. The game will take place at Kingsmeadow on Saturday 25 October, with kick-off at 2pm.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Max Merrick; Genesis Antwi, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Kaiden Wilson, Richard Olise (Kian Best 81); Ollie Harrison (Harrison McMahon 64), Leo Cardoso, Sam Rak-Sakyi; Leo Cardoso, Shumaira Mheuka (c), Ato Ampah (Jesse Derry 56)
Unused subs: Ted Curd, Frankie Runham
Scorer: Derry 86
Booked: Mheuka 33, Murray-Campbell 54, Rak-Sakyi 90+5

Burnley: Oisin Cooney, Murray Campbell, Oliver Pimlott, Jesse Williams (c), Joe Ashton, Jack McEvilly, Joe Bevan (Charlie Veevers 67), Ellis Clark, Kamarni Ryan, George Brierley, Kian McMahon-Brown (Zach Johnson 89)
Unused subs: Lewis Forshaw, Noah Adekoya, Marley Leuluai
Booked: Pimlott 35, Campbell 68, Ashton 72, Brierley 83