When Chelsea took to the field at Old Trafford in the last weekend of April 2019, little did we know that a youth revolution was about to be kickstarted at Stamford Bridge. Since that day in Manchester, when the Blues earned a 1-1 draw with the Red Devils thanks to an equaliser by Marcos Alonso, every Chelsea starting XI has featured at least one player who was schooled in our Academy.

It all began with the first leg of a Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt, when Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were selected by Maurizio Sarri, and it has grown from there, through Frank Lampard’s tenure in the dugout – which was underpinned by the faith he showed in our youngsters – and it has continued into the Thomas Tuchel era.

Ten players from our Academy have started games in that time and we’ve gone through the past 100 matches – plus one international fixture – to select some of the highlights.

Chelsea 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt, May 2019

The third game in this run of 100 came in the second leg of a Europa League semi-final, under Maurizio Sarri. The Italian trusted Christensen and Loftus-Cheek on this huge occasion, and the latter repaid him with a fine goal that took him up to double figures in a season that has, to date, undoubtedly been the best of his Blues career.

Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal, May 2019

By the time of the Europa League final, Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi had both suffered Achilles injuries, which meant Christensen was leading the way for the Academy graduates. The Danish centre-back starred alongside David Luiz at the back as we largely kept Arsenal at bay, while Eden Hazard and co. ran riot at the other end. It was a mature performance on the big stage by a player with a bright future.

Wolves 2-5 Chelsea, September 2019

The sixth game of Frank Lampard’s spell as Blues boss was the one when his faith in players from the Academy truly paid off. There had been signs before then – Mason Mount’s fine goal in the home opener v Leicester, back-to-back braces for Tammy Abraham – but this was the exclamation point. Fikayo Tomori scored a stunner, that was later voted Goal of the Season, to get the ball rolling, and then Abraham bagged the first hat-trick of his Chelsea career before Mount put the seal on the win in stoppage time. Five goals, each of them from Academy players, and the clearest sign yet that the youngsters were more than ready.

Chelsea 7-1 Grimsby, September 2019

One player we hadn’t seen anything of was Reece James, who picked up an injury on international duty that ruled him out of the start of the season. There had been plenty of talk about the right-back, following a stunning campaign in the Championship with Wigan Athletic, and he didn’t disappoint on his full Blues debut, alongside another defender from the Academy, Marc Guehi. A spectacular goal from James got his Chelsea career up and running, on a night when four teenagers started a game for the Blues – the first time that had happened since 1980.

Chelsea 4-4 Ajax, November 2019

In the away game against Ajax during our Champions League group campaign, four Academy players – Abraham, Hudson-Odoi, Mount and Tomori – started, which was fitting against a side famed for their youth set-up. Although that number dropped to three for the return match at the Bridge, it was an absolute thriller, as we came back from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 thanks to a goal from James, who had been a half-time substitute. As a result, he became our youngest-ever Champions League goalscorer, at the age of 19 years and 332 days.

Kosovo 0-4 England, November 2019

Yes, we’re fully aware this isn’t part of the 100-game run, but it remains a highlight for three of our Academy boys. Tomori made his England debut, becoming the 50th Blue to represent the Three Lions, and Mount scored his maiden goal at senior international level, becoming our youngest goalscorer for England in 60 years. There was also a start for Hudson-Odoi, who was back in the international picture following a long injury absence.

Chelsea 3-0 Burnley, January 2020

Hudson-Odoi produced arguably his best Chelsea performance in this emphatic victory over Burnley, in which he scored his first-ever Premier League goal. We started with five Academy graduates, but it was CHO who was the star of the show, leading to Lampard declaring post-match that we had seen ‘the real Hudson-Odoi’.

Chelsea 4-0 Everton, March 2020

There was no shortage of confidence in Billy Gilmour from the coaching staff, but the young Scot was just unfortunate not be given too many chances earlier in the season. Well, when he came in for two games against Merseyside opposition in our final matches before lockdown, boy did he show what he is capable of. Two Man of the Match awards, following virtuoso displays against Liverpool and then Everton, showed just how talented he is. The Everton game also included a goal from Mount, who opened the scoring, plus Tino Anjorin and Armando Broja came off the bench.

Bayern Munich 4-1 Chelsea, August 2020

A heavy defeat sent us out of the Champions League, but five Academy graduates started the game to get an idea of just what is needed to be the best in Europe, against the side that went on to lift the trophy later that month. We also had seven youngsters on the bench, so all in all this was a vital learning exercise. Our goal on the night came from Abraham, who took his tally for the season to 18 – the first time an Academy player has reached that number in a top-flight season for the Blues since the early 1970s.

West Brom 3-3 Chelsea, September 2020

Things were not going to plan at the Hawthorns, as we found ourselves 3-0 down and staring at a shock defeat. This, however, was a game when our youngsters showed they had no quit, to go along the outstanding technical abilities. Mount got us back into it with a thumping strike, before Hudson-Odoi curled in a second. With time running out, Abraham was on the spot to make it 3-3, securing the first comeback from three down at half-time by any Premier League team for almost a decade.

Chelsea 1-1 Krasnodar, December 2020

Winning your Champions League group with games to spare is what every untried young player wants to see, as it increases the likelihood of a starting berth in the dead rubber to end the stage. Anjorin was one such youngster to benefit from this, becoming the 10th player from our Academy to start during this run when he was selected against Krasnodar. It was a bright full debut, too, as he showed plenty of impressive touches during his 80 minutes on the pitch.

Chelsea 0-0 Wolves, January 2021

This may seem like a strange choice, as Thomas Tuchel’s first Chelsea line-up included just one graduate: Hudson-Odoi. Many questioned whether Lampard’s departure would also signal an end to the youth movement at Stamford Bridge, but the new boss insisted he largely went with experience for this one due to the major events of the week – and since then he has selected at least three Academy players in every starting XI, as the run extended to 100 matches. Hudson-Odoi also impressed in this game as a right wing-back, showing his versatility.