The Academy’s Christmas break is almost upon us, but there is no sign of the Chelsea Under-18s winding down just yet, as shown when they brushed West Bromwich Albion aside in remorseless fashion.

However, attention has already turned to the next game, when we host Southampton at Cobham at 1pm on Tuesday 19 December. You can watch that match live on the Official Chelsea App, complete with enhanced stats and event tracking from MVX, built with Infinite Athlete.

It represents an excellent opportunity for the Blues, who now sit third in the Under-18s Premier League table, six points off the top, but having played three games less than the leaders. With this match representing the first of those games in hand, it is a chance to put pressure on those above us going into the break, but head coach Hassan Sulaiman won’t let the players’ focus slip from the immediate task at hand.

‘I don’t think the boys have made any secret of what their ambitions are and wanting to win trophies,’ said Sulaiman. ‘The aim is just to keep building on the momentum that we have. We want to pile the pressure on the other teams, certainly, but we’re just taking it one game at a time.

‘We expect a tough game. Although we won 9-1 against West Brom, every team that we play against poses a different challenge, and every team will always play Chelsea with their strongest team. We don’t expect anything less from Southampton.

‘Naturally the boys will want to do well. They have a hunger inside to want to win every game and I don’t think the game plan or the mentality will differ very much. We’ll certainly approach the game with the same mentality and hopefully we can achieve a positive result in the last game of 2023.’

When it comes to building that momentum, the Blues have a strong platform to build on after Saturday’s 9-1 thrashing of West Brom made it three wins in a row across league and cup for our Under-18s.

It wasn’t just an eye-catching scorline against the Baggies, though, as Sulaiman acknowledged it came close to the perfect performance.

‘It’s difficult to have many complaints when you win 9-1. The truth is the boys played some really good, dominating football. We were very patient in possession and we found our rhythm. West Brom tried everything to try and disrupt our flow and manage the game but the boys were very good.

‘The scoreline reflects how clinical we were in the final third. It wasn’t just a game of dominant possession, it was also a game of absolute ruthlessness. Every time we got into the box we looked like we were going to score.

‘The boys demonstrated keeping possession of the ball, playing through midfield, using wide areas, breaking into the final third. So the game had everything that you would want as a coach, in terms of in possession.

‘But then out of possession we were just as ruthless. We were strong, we were defensively difficult to beat. The boys were disappointed to concede, even though it was only a consolation goal, as we were 8-0 up by then. It was almost like we took our foot off the gas and got a bit complacent, so that was disappointing, but on a whole the performance was up there as one of the best.’

Although it was obviously pleasing to see all four attacking players getting their name on the scoresheet, with a hat-trick for striker Shumaira Mheuka, a pair of braces by Donnell McNeilly and Chinonso Chibueze, plus one from Frankie Runham, Sulaiman was quick to point out that this was very much a team performance with credit deserved throughout the side for the way the players put their plan into action.

‘You can see from the goalscorers and the players who got the assists that they shared the workload. The goals were all team efforts and came from really good passages of play, they weren’t down to individual brilliance. I think that reflects the unity in the team, how well they play together and how well they executed the game plan.

‘Everything came together in this game. All the staff work tirelessly to leave no stone unturned in the game plan, but it’s the boys who have to buy in to it and execute it. As a coach you set the structure, but within that framework the boys have the freedom and fluidity to express themselves and show their potential and individual brilliance.

‘They certainly did that against West Brom and we got to see all their bits of individual brilliance, but also their brilliance as a team as well.’

Hopefully it will be more of the same then when the Chelsea Under-18s next take to the field against Southampton at 1pm on tomorrow.

Where to watch the live stream

The match will be available to watch on the Official Chelsea App, complete with enhanced stats and event tracking from MVX, built by Infinite Athlete. The stream is available globally and is priced at £1.99.

Chelsea 9-1 West Bromwich Albion

Chelsea (4-3-3): Kai Crampton; Harrison Murray-Campbell (Genesis Antwi 60), Kaiden Wilson (Saheed Olagunju 60), Travis Akomeah, Somto Boniface; Ollie Harrison, Donnell McNeilly (Shaun Wade 60), Harrison McMahon (Yahya Idrissi 73); Chinonso Chibueze, Shumaira Mheuka, Frankie Runham
Unused sub: Luke Campbell
Scorers: Mheuka 12, 38, 45+1, McNeilly 29, 58, Runham 42, McMahon 52, Chibueze 75, 90
Booked: Wilson 55

West Bromwich Albion (4-4-2): Louis Brady, Archie Kirton, Corey Sears, Souleman Mandey (Rio Palmer 85), Rhys Morrish, Jenson Sumnall, Dan Chimeziri (Fran Cherchi 71), Keilan Quinn, Adriel Walker (Eseosa Sule h-t), Cheik Kone, Divine Onyemachi (Alfie Maughan h-t)
Unused sub: Liam Wilkes
Scorer: Kone 79
Booked: Quinn 45+1