The Blues applied pressure from the first whistle in this action-packed London derby and, after several opportunities, Genesis Antwi turned the ball home after Derry was denied. However, the goal was ruled out for offside.

Undeterred, we continued to push forward and the opener arrived when Derry capitalised after brilliant work from Ato Ampah to fire us ahead.

Walsh, fresh off signing his first professional contract, then doubled our advantage after the interval with a composed finish.

Arsenal responded and pulled a goal back through former Blue Marcell Washington, but despite late pressure from the visitors, we were able to see out the game to make it back-to-back wins in PL2.

Early warnings

In what proved a feisty encounter, Chelsea immediately took control. Derry had the first opportunity of the afternoon as he collected a pass from Walsh and powered a shot toward goal. Arsenal goalkeeper Tommy Setford saved well, but it was a statement of intent for the Blues.

We pressed again down the opposite flank soon after, as Ampah burst into space and drilled a low effort towards goal. Setford again stood firm once more.

Our link-up play continued to create chances as we pushed for the opener. Antwi drove forward and released Ampah, who weaved into the box and lifted a teasing delivery onto the head of Deivid Washington.

The striker rose superbly and powered a header that looked destined to dip under the crossbar, but it landed on the roof of the net instead.

Walsh remained at the heart of everything, and he burst forward once again to slip the ball to Derry, who struck an attempt with real venom. Setford produced another outstanding stop to keep the game level.

We continued to apply pressure and the breakthrough appeared to have arrived in the 25th minute.

Defender Olutayo Subuloye strode confidently out from the back and combined with Antwi, who cut the ball back perfectly for Derry to strike. Setford blocked amid a desperate scramble and Antwi reacted quickest to bundle the ball over the line,

However, our celebrations were cut short as the assistant referee’s flag ruled it out for offside.

Deadlock broken

The wait for the opener arrived soon after. Ampah received the ball inside the area from Walsh and fired a perfect pass across the face of goal. Derry ghosted into space and hammered a shot through a crowded box and into the net to put the Blues in front.

Arsenal looked to respond and striker Andre Harriman-Annous smashed a powerful effort towards goal, but Max Merrick produced a stunning diving save to keep our advantage intact.

We remained in control as half-time approached and Walsh came close with a low drive that beat Setford but struck the foot of the post.

The Blues saw out the four additional minutes with focus and fire and headed into the break firmly on top.

Lead doubled

We came out strongly after the restart and doubled our advantage. Ollie Harrison produced a brilliant long pass to Ampah out wide, and the winger drove forward before teeing up Walsh, who drilled a low strike into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

We almost fashioned a third soon after. Deivid sprinted clear and saw his effort blocked by a defender, Derry raced onto the rebound but Setford threw himself across goal to deny him.

Gunners strike

Arsenal stayed in the contest and reduced the deficit with a sharp move. Substitute Osman Kamara burst down the wing and squared the ball for Washington, who arrived at the back post to turn it home and make it 2-1.

The visitors gained momentum and forced Merrick into another big save. Charles Sagoe Jr dribbled into the box and struck from close range but our goalkeeper stood tall and bravely blocked

Kamara remained dangerous as the game entered the final 20 minutes and he tested Merrick again with a powerful effort. The Blues stopper met it with an outstanding dive to keep us ahead.

From their next attack, Sagoe Jr drilled a low shot that deflected off a Chelsea defender and spun inches wide of the far post.

The Blues dug deep in the final moments and showed our resilience, with the players putting their bodies on the line as Arsenal hunted desperately for an equaliser.

It was a nail-biting finish, but the young Blues held firm to secure a brilliant win.

What's next

The Under-21s face Everton in our next Premier League 2 match on Friday evening at 7pm. The game will be available to watch free of charge via the live stream on the Chelsea Official App and website.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Max Merrick; Kaiden Wilson, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Olutayo Subuloye, Genesis Antwi; Ollie Harrison, Reggie Walsh (Sam Rak-Sakyi 67), Harrison McMahon (c); Jesse Derry (Kobe Barbour 82), Deivid Washington (Dujuan Richards 68), Ato Amaph
Unused subs: Ted Curd, Lewi Richards
Scorers: Derry 33, Walsh 50

Arsenal: Tommy Setford, Joshua Nichols (Sebastian Ferdinand 90+2), Marcell Washington, Brayden Clarke (Callan Hamill 90+2), William Lannin-Sweet, Ifeoluwa Ibrahim (Demiane Agustien 59), Archie Stevens (Osman Kamara 59) Louie Copley (c), Andre Harriman-Annous, Harrison Dudziak, Charles Sagoe Jr
Unused sub: Remy Mitchell
Scorer: Washington 64