The game began at a measured tempo, but it was the Blues who seized control. Genesis Antwi produced a moment of real quality down the flank, driving forward before cutting a fierce ball back into the area, where a Leeds defender could only divert it into his own net to hand us the advantage heading into the interval.

We strengthened our position early in the second half when Shumaira Mheuka rose powerfully to head home, bringing up his 20th goal of the 2025/26 campaign across our Academy teams and highlighting his impressive form in front of goal.

However Leeds showed resilience and mounted a late response, pulling a goal back before a composed individual effort restored their footing in the contest. Despite our control for large spells, the visitors’ fight-back meant the points were ultimately shared at Cobham.

Steady start

Chelsea began the league fixture on the front foot, immediately placing Leeds under sustained pressure. Romeo Lavia featured in midfield for the Under-21s as he continued to build towards his return from injury at senior level, adding composure and control in the centre of the pitch.

Skipper Mheuka produced the first real threat of the afternoon, seeing a deflected effort test Darryl Ombang early on. The Leeds keeper dealt with the initial strike and although Landon Emenalo reacted sharply to the rebound, his follow-up was kept out.

The Blues maintained our intensity, circulating possession with purpose and pressing high against the visitors’ backline. Ryan Kavuma-McQueen then came close with a drilled low effort that skimmed narrowly past the far post.

Leeds attempted to settle into the contest through Rhys Chadwick, but his effort failed to seriously trouble Freddy Bernal, who remained assured between the sticks as Chelsea continued to be in control.

It felt like merely a matter of time before we broke the deadlock and we did so in unfortunate fashion for the visitors. Mheuka sent the ball wide to Antwi, who exploited space on the right flank and drilled a sharp cut-back into the box. In trying to intercept, Leeds defender Jacob Howard inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, giving the Blues a 1-0 lead on home turf.

We continued to push and control proceedings for the remainder of the first half, probing Leeds’ defence and creating openings while remaining disciplined at the back. As the whistle for half-time blew, the Blues went into the interval with a deserved lead, comfortable in our performance and confident ahead of the second period.

We began the second half in much the same fashion, immediately asserting control. Leo Cardoso produced a brilliant driving run through midfield, weaving past challenges before sliding a neat pass into Mheuka’s path. Our striker struck fiercely at goal, but a slight touch from a Leeds defender diverted the effort wide.

We continued to combine well in the final third. Midfielder Reggie Walsh picked out Kavuma-McQueen, who delivered a perfectly weighted cut-back to an unmarked Mheuka just inside the penalty area. Once again, the keeper reacted sharply, palming the strike away to keep the deficit at one.

Mheuka magic

The pressure soon paid off. From the resulting corner, Cardoso swung in a dangerous delivery that found Mheuka rising highest in the box. This time, our striker would not be denied, powering a header beyond Ombang to double our advantage.

However, Leeds refused to go down without a fight. A long switched pass from Jayden Lienou found Freddie Lane in space and he did well to bring the ball under control before firing a close-range effort past Bernal to pull one back and make it 2-1.

The Blues looked to respond immediately. A whipped corner from Ollie Harrison was met by a towering header from our defender, but Ombang produced an excellent fingertip save to push the ball away and prevent a third goal.

We came close again as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Kiano Dyer cut the ball back intelligently to the onrushing Emenalo, who hammered a low strike towards the far corner. The effort cannoned back off the post, denying him a goal and handing Leeds another escape.

Late leveller

Despite controlling large spells, we were dealt a late set-back as the visitors found an equaliser. Chadwick collected the ball inside the penalty area and picked out the bottom corner beyond Bernal’s reach, bringing the sides level at Cobham.

We pushed forward in the closing moments in search of a winner, but it was not enough to overturn Leeds’ second-half fight-back. After an entertaining contest, the points were shared in our Friday afternoon clash.

What it means

Following this result, Chelsea move to the top of the Premier League 2 table. Although level on points with Ipswich Town, our superior goal difference sees us claim first place.

What's next

Chelsea Under-21s return to Premier League 2 action on Monday 2 March with a 7pm kick-off against Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village. You can watch the game live for free on the Chelsea Official App and website.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Freddy Bernal; Genesis Antwi, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Olutayo Subuloye, Landon Emenalo; Harrison McMahon (Mathis Eboue 85), Romeo Lavia (Ollie Harrison h-t), Reggie Walsh; Leo Cardoso (Kiano Dyer 65), Shumaira Mheuka, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen
Unused subs: Hudson Sands, Kaiden Wilson
Scorers: Howard og 40, Mheuka 56
Booked: Mheuka 4, Kavuma-McQueen 63

Leeds (4-2-3-1): Darryl Ombang, Freddie Lane, Jayden Lienou, Oliver Pickles, Jacob Howard, Luke Matykiewicz, Callum Mills (Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher 60), Alfie Cresswell (c), Harvey Vincent (Jack Morris 80), Rhys Chadwick, Coban Bird (Kenneth Mensah 60)
Unused subs: Robert Cook, Loui Whitehead
Scorers: Lane 61, Chadwick 82
Booked: Matykiewicz 25, Pickles 36, Cresswell 90