The Blues made the ideal start as, having asserted our dominance, Sol Gordon opened the scoring after just six minutes. Our lead was doubled soon after through Mathis Eboue, who finished clinically.

Fulham had carried a threat throughout the opening period and found a route back into the game when Brodie Dair pulled a goal back. However, after a positive and controlled first-half display, we went into the interval ahead.

Despite starting the second half with attacking intent, it was Fulham who netted the all-important fourth goal of the game. Khai Valley struck the leveller and, with the visitors carrying momentum, they forced an own goal from Reggie Watson.

The Blues pushed hard in the 15 minutes that remained, giving everything in search of an equaliser. But we couldn't overturn Fulham’s advantage and missed out on Under-18 Premier League points.

Perfect start

The Blues wasted little time in establishing an advantage in this London derb. Our opener arrived from a lightning counter-attack, which saw Chizaram Ezenwata deliver a perfectly weighted long ball for Gordon, who used his blistering pace to outrun his marker and fired a composed low strike into the back of the net.

Soon after the restart, Ezenwata drove forward into Fulham’s half and fed Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli inside the box. The midfielder unleashed a powerful effort, but Fulham were fortunate as the effort flew just wide.

The visitors' first threatening moment arrived soon after. Quinn Schutter burst into the box and fired from a tight angle, only to be denied by the legs of returning goalkeeper Toby Bell.

We remained composed, though, and doubled our advantage with a slick move. Watson picked out Ezenwata with a precise pass, he ran onto the ball and delivered a smart cross for Eboue, who smashed home. It was a brilliant demonstration of teamwork from the young Blues.

Despite our control, Fulham pulled a goal back ten minutes before the interval. Nazim Benchaita sent a long ball over the top to Valley, whose cross found striker Dair, whose low right-footed strike beat Bell to reduce the deficit.

We almost quickly restored our two-goal cushion when debutant Yisa Alao made a surging run and unleashed a low strike from a tight angle. But the ball skimmed wide of the post. Despite the miss, our first-half performance had been bright and full of promise, and we deserved to be ahead.

Tension grows

We returned to the pitch with the same confidence we had shown before the break, and Ezenwata continued his search for a goal. The forward came close early in the second period, meeting the ball with power, but his effort drifted just over the crossbar.

Another chance followed. Substitute Jashyade Greenwood drove purposefully upfield before sliding the ball across to Ezenwata. Our forward struck it first time, yet once again the attempt flew narrowly over the bar. The pressure was building, but the finish would not come.

Fulham then rallied and found their equaliser. Joe Obeng-John launched a long ball upfield to Valley, who brought it down well and drove into the penalty area. The winger kept his composure and fired a low strike into the bottom corner to make it 2-2, shifting the momentum and leaving the Blues frustrated.

Fulham soon turned the game on its head, as they went in front. Sustained pressure on our backline forced a loose pass, which Alfie White capitalised on. He delivered a dangerous cross into the area and in an unfortunate attempt to clear, Watson diverted the ball into his own net.

Frustration in the air

We continued to apply pressure as we searched for a route back into the contest. Nicoll-Jazuli went close to finding the equaliser, but his effort lacked the accuracy needed to trouble Mayer in between the sticks. Frustration began to grow among the Blues.

We threw everything forward in the closing stages and pushed hard deep into stoppage time. Lewi Richards delivered a dangerous cross that Ezenwata rose to meet. However, it was not to be.

Despite our late surge, the equaliser didn't come and it proved a disappointing end to our afternoon as we narrowly missed out on league points.

What it means

Following this result, Chelsea Under-18s sit second in the Under-18 Premier League South table with 36 points - just one point behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur - and still have a game in hand on the London side.

What's next

Chelsea Under-18s will return to league action this weekend, hosting West Bromwich Albion on Saturday at Cobham, with kick-off scheduled for midday.

Supporters around the world can watch the match live and free of charge on the Chelsea Official App and on our website.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Toby Bell; Lewi Richards, Dante Waite (c), Calvin Diakite, Yisa Alao (Jacob Hall 55); Isaac Silva, Reggie Watson, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli; Sol Gordon, Chizaram Ezenwata, Mathis Eboue (Jashayde Greenwood 55)
Unused subs: Hudson Sands, Isago Silva, Chris Atherton
Scorers: Gordon 6, Eboue 18
Booked: Gordon 23, Watson 62, Greenwood 64, Badu 70, Richards 90+1

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Oliver Mayer, Nazim Benchaita, Quinn Schutter, Lewis Kondau-Wall, Archie Taylor, Logan Cooke, William Sutton-Bangura (Tarrell Lubega 65), Joe Obeng-John, Brodie Dair (Bashil Lubega 90+5), Alfie White, Khai Valley
Unused subs: Leo Hamilton, Anand Batra, Kymarley Morrison
Scorers: Dair 35, Valley 64, Watson (og) 75
Booked: Schutter 57, Benchaita 67, White 70, Cavell 90+6d