We got off to a bright start, dominating possession and creating early chances. The breakthrough came when Jesse Derry was brought down inside the box, and captain Mheuka calmly slotted home from the penalty spot to give Chelsea the lead in front of the home supporters.

Despite our control, Benfica responded and found an equaliser through Jaden Umeh, who finished well just after the half-hour mark to level the match at 1-1 going into the break.

The young Blues came out firing in the second half. After a clear handball by a Benfica defender, we were awarded a second penalty. Mheuka stepped up once again and confidently dispatched his effort to restore our lead at 2-1.

Our No9 then completed an excellent hat-trick, rising highest to head home from a pinpoint Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli cross, extending our advantage to 3-1 and putting Chelsea in control.

Benfica pulled one back through Daniel Banjaqui, but our substitutes made an immediate impact. Ryan Kavuma-McQueen added a fourth with a composed finish, before Kobe Barbour linked up well with Leo Cardoso, capping off the performance with Chelsea’s fifth goal of the evening.

It was a confident and clinical display from the young Blues, who now have back-to-back wins in our Youth League campaign.

Steady start

It was a bright and sunny afternoon at Cobham as we kicked off the midweek fixture with confidence, enjoying early spells of possession against Portuguese opposition Benfica.

The first chance of the match fell to the Blues from a dangerous set-piece. Landon Emenalo whipped in a corner that found the towering Olutayo Subuloye, who rose highest and powered a header towards goal, only to see his effort bounce narrowly wide. It was an encouraging start, with the Blues applying early pressure.

That momentum continued moments later when Nicoll-Jazuli, stepping up from the schoolboy ranks, surged forward with real intent. He drove into space before cutting the ball back for Derry, who struck a low, venomous effort on target. However, Diogo Ferreira in the Benfica goal was equal to it, getting down well to make the save.

The visitors responded with a chance of their own following a swift counter-attack. Freitas let fly with a fierce effort, but Freddy Bernal was alert and got across sharply to push the ball to safety.

Unfazed, the young Blues kept probing. As we approached the 20-minute mark, Harrison Murray-Campbell showed his vision by lifting a delicate pass over the Benfica defence into the path of Nicoll-Jazuli, who curled a measured effort across the face of goal, agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock.

Precise penalty

Chelsea’s persistence paid off shortly after, as Derry used his quick feet and close control to dance into the box, only to be brought down by Freitas. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Up stepped striker Mheuka, who displayed composure beyond his years. He calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, sending the Benfica keeper the wrong way to give Chelsea a deserved one-goal advantage.

However, the visitors hit back before the break. Eduardo Fernandes found space on the flank and struck a powerful shot that Bernal did well to parry. Unfortunately, the rebound fell kindly to Umeh, who was on hand to slot home from close range and bring Benfica level at 1-1.

Despite the setback, the Blues continued to push forward with purpose. Genesis Antwi remained lively down the wing, consistently stretching play and linking up with Mheuka as we looked to restore our lead before the interval.

But as the half-time whistle blew, the score remained level with all to play for in the second half.

The second period began with real intensity. It was Benfica who carved out the first clear chance after the restart, with Banjaqui unleashing a powerful strike on target. But once again, Freddy Bernal was alert, diving sharply to push the effort away and keep the scores level.

Our hat-trick hero!

Momentum quickly swung in Chelsea’s favour as we were awarded a second penalty of the afternoon. Antwi, using his trademark pace, burst down the wing and delivered a dangerous cross into the box. The ball struck the arm of Rui Silva as he attempted to block it, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot for hand ball.

Stepping up once more, Mheuka made no mistake. He powered his shot past the keeper with confidence, restoring our lead and making it 2-1 early in the second half.

And things only got better for the Blues.

Our No9 completed his hat-trick in style. The move began with Nicoll-Jazuli, who floated a superb delivery into the penalty area. Mheuka timed his run perfectly, leaped highest and guided a precise header into the back of the net - securing his third of the match and extending our lead to 3-1.

Benfica weren’t finished yet and responded swiftly to keep the contest alive. Pressing high to force a turnover, Goncalo Moreira picked up possession and lofted a clever ball into the path of Banjaqui. The forward took it in his stride and rifled his shot into the net from a tight angle, cutting Chelsea’s lead to 3-2 and reminding the Blues there was still work to be done.

The floodgates open!

The response from Chelsea was immediate and emphatic.

Substitute Kavuma-McQueen made an instant impact after coming off the bench for Calum McFarlane's side. Mheuka once again played a key role, driving upfield with pace and composure before squaring the ball perfectly into the path of Kavuma-McQueen, who didn’t hesitate.

The winger lashed a first-time effort into the back of the net, restoring our two-goal cushion and adding his name to the score sheet in style. And the goals didn’t stop there.

Another substitute, Barbour, got in on the act. The move started with a brilliant run from Cardoso, who showed great awareness to pick out Barbour with a pinpoint cross into the penalty area. Barbour made no mistake, meeting the ball with a powerful strike that flew past the keeper to make it 5-2 and close out a superb afternoon.

What's next

Chelsea Under-19s will continue our UEFA Youth League campaign by hosting Ajax on Wednesday 22 October. The match will kick off at 1pm at Cobham.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Freddy Bernal; Genesis Antwi, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Olutayo Subuloye, Landon Emenalo; Ollie Harrison, Harrison McMahon, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (Ryan Kavuma-McQueen 71); Leo Cardoso (Mathis Eboue 85), Shumaira Mheuka (c), Jesse Derry (Kobe Barbour 79)
Unused subs: Hudson Sands, Lewi Richards, Dante Waite, Calvin Diakite, Sol Gordon, Chizaram Ezenwata
Scorers: Mheuka pen 23, pen 55, 64, Kavuma-McQueen 78, Barbour 84
Booked: Mheuka 10, Nicoll-Jazuli 56, Antwi 72

Benfica: Diogo Ferreira, Daniel Banjaqui, Rui Silva, Michee Ndembi, Jose Neto, Rafael Quintas (Gil Neves 71), Eduardo Fernandes (Joao Afonso 61), Tiago Freitas, Francisco Silva (Gustavo Ferreira 61), Goncalo Moreira (c) (Stevan Manuel 71), Jaden Umeh (Nilson Semedo 74)
Unused subs: Luiz Felipe, Duarte Soares, Ricardo Neto, Anisio Cabral
Scorers: Umeh 30, Banjaqui 69
Booked: Silva 54, Quintas 63