It made it four victories from four at the start of the new campaign and takes Chelsea up to 17 goals scored during that time.

The selection

The young Blues came into this fourth round of fixtures in the Under-18 Premier League as one of four teams in the southern section with a 100 per cent winning record. Yet this was a young team featuring four Under-16s from the start hoping to build on the season’s positive start.

Ronnie Stutter and Malik Mothersille, both scorers at Norwich a fortnight ago, started alongside Flower in attack, while Teddy Curd kept his place in goal.

Early probing

It was almost a perfect opening under a smattering of clouds at Cobham as Stutter forced a save up high from Alfie Brooks within the first few minutes, the visiting keeper flinging a strong hand above his head to push the striker’s stinging drive over.

From the resulting corner, Leo Castledine headed straight at Brooks from close range when placing into either corner would have been a certain breakthrough.

Birmingham, new to the Category One programme of elite academies this term, carried a threat of their own as they looked to follow up a maiden win at this level last time out against Tottenham. George Hall provided a threat down the right, forcing Kaiden Wilson into intelligent covering and a smart block.

Striking from the front

Down the other end, Castledine lacked the accuracy to trouble Brooks with a free-kick from a promising position before putting the Midlands side’s shot-stopper to more pressing work with a decent effort that required saving.

The midfielder, who had scored last week on international duty with England’s Under-17s, was proving a lively epicentre of our creative play, though it was the intense pressing of Stutter and Flower from the front that led to the game’s opening goal midway through the first half.

Flower proved the ultimate beneficiary, pouncing on a mistake from Brooks to steal the ball off the goalkeeper’s toe and slam it into the unguarded goal for his first of the campaign.

However, the hosts were not having it all their own way and Curd demonstrated his impressive shot-stopping attributes with saves from Hall, Callum Sullivan and Jordan James. The latter should have levelled before the break, teed up from the right by the younger Bellingham brother Jobe, but scuffed his shot wide.

Revved-up restart

The Blues were buoyed at the start of the second half and fashioned a good chance to double their lead when Mothersille exposed Birmingham’s high defensive line to escape in behind.

Brooks produced another important save to keep his team in the game, as he did moments later to deny Michael Golding, but Ed Brand’s boys were proving persistent and it always felt a matter of time before they would capitalise on the space in Birmingham’s half.

That was the case on 65 minutes as Mothersille raced on to a quick free-kick down the left, advanced towards goal and even had time to check back before placing his finish into the bottom corner.

Seeing it out and seeing them off

Curd continued to impress in between the posts for the home side, working hard to maintain our two-goal advantage and his own clean sheet with a couple more decent saves.

Changes disrupted the momentum in the final 20 minutes and clear-cut chances were at a premium but the Blues did add a third late on when Stutter burst down the right and teed up Mothersille for a simple close-range finish.

What’s next?

The youth team host Blackburn Rovers in the first group game of this season’s Under-18 Premier League Cup next weekend. Before then, our development squad are in Manchester to take on City in Premier League 2 this afternoon, with kick-off at 3pm.

Chelsea (3-4-3) Teddy Curd; Richard Olise, Kaiden Wilson, Billy Gee; Zain Silcott-Duberry, Michael Golding (Silko Thomas 61), Leo Castledine (Reiss Denny 71), Somto Boniface; Louis Flower (Tyrique George 86), Ronnie Stutter, Malik MothersilleUnused sub Luke CampbellScorers Flower 21; Mothersille 65, 83Booked Gee

Birmingham City Alfie Brooks, Callum Sullivan, Ife Oni (Brandon Khela 65), Cianole Nguepissi, Rico Browne, Chris Ogore, George Hall, Jordan James, Kieron Wakefield, Rico Patterson, Jobe Bellingham (Niall Rushton 75)Unused subs Brad Mayo, Josh Home, Engwau OdukaBooked James

Referee Dean Carney