Chelsea began the game by wasting no time in applying pressure, forcing our opponents back into their own half from the outset.

Our patience paid off just after the half-hour mark when captain Dante Waite broke the deadlock with a powerful finish, opening the scoring and netting his first goal of the season for the Under-18s. Just six minutes later, the young Blues extended our advantage, as Sol Gordon added his name to the score sheet, giving Chelsea a two-goal lead at the interval.

After the break, we continued our dominance, with Lewi Richards netting his fourth goal of the season with a stunning strike from range.

The Blues were then awarded a penalty, striker Jashayde Greenwood stepping up to convert confidently, marking his first penalty of the campaign and our fourth goal of the afternoon. It rounded off a dominant performance and continued our strong run of form.

Finding momentum

In the opening stages of our first of two games this week, the Under-18s settled quickly into a steady rhythm, enjoying long spells of possession and applying early pressure on Arsenal’s defence through composed build-up play from the back. Despite this control, clear chances in the final third remained limited.

Striker Greenwood led our early attacking intent, pressing the Arsenal back line and forcing Jack Porter into an important save. After racing down the flank, he struck from a tight angle, but the keeper reacted well to palm the effort away as we looked to capitalise and find an early breakthrough.

The game then moved into a more cagey spell around the 20-minute mark, with Chelsea continuing to dictate possession and probe for openings on home turf. Arsenal registered their first opportunity when winger Brando Bailey-Joseph drove into the penalty area and fired a low effort towards goal, but Freddy Bernal was alert and produced a comfortable save.

Schoolboy midfielder Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli then switched play with a lofted pass towards winger Gordon, who controlled well before delivering a dangerous low cross that flashed across the face of goal. At the other end, Aleksander Marciniak broke through one-on-one inside the area and unleashed a powerful effort, but Bernal reacted superbly to keep Chelsea level.

Taking the lead

The Blues eventually made the breakthrough shortly after the half-hour mark and it came from a well-worked set-piece.

A free-kick was taken short before defender Yisa Alao delivered a precise ball into the box, where Olutayo Subuloye rose to meet it with a thumping header. Although Porter did well to keep out the initial effort, skipper Waite reacted quickest inside the six-yard box, arriving at the near post to smash home the rebound and put the Blues ahead.

The tempo lifted further following the opener and Chelsea almost doubled the advantage soon after. Kobe Barbour advanced down the flank and delivered a low cross into the area for Gordon, who struck powerfully, but the Arsenal keeper remained alert to make the save.

Doubling our lead

Gordon did not have to wait long to get on the score sheet, as we doubled our advantage in composed fashion. Waite was once again involved, lifting a well-weighted pass forward for the winger, who used his pace to beat the defence, hold off his marker and race through on goal. Gordon kept his composure, slotting a controlled finish past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

We continued to pose a constant threat for the remainder of the first half, maintaining both intensity and control. The Blues went into the break two goals to the good against our London rivals, reflecting a dominant and assured first-half performance.

Action resumed at a sunlit Cobham with Chelsea immediately on the front foot, carrying our attacking momentum into the second half. The Blues made a bright start and wasted little time in extending our lead with a moment of real quality.

Outrageous strike

Subuloye picked out Richards in space from around 25 yards. The right-back responded in spectacular fashion, unleashing a powerful strike that soared into the top corner, leaving Porter with no chance and making it 3-0. It was a superb long-range finish that underlined our dominance.

We soon had another opportunity to add to our advantage when the Blues were awarded a penalty. Gordon’s quick feet and acceleration took him into the box, where he was brought down by Elyon Mbala, prompting the referee to point to the spot.

Greenwood stepped up with confidence and calmly dispatched the penalty, firing low into the bottom corner and sending the keeper the wrong way to make it 4-0.

Chelsea remained firmly in control, continuing to apply pressure in search of a fifth. Under-18s head coach Dan Hogan turned to his bench, introducing top scorer Chizaram Ezenwata, who nearly made an instant impact with a powerful effort that seemed destined for the net, before being crucially blocked by an Arsenal defender.

Maintaining both control and intensity through to the final whistle, Chelsea secured an emphatic victory. The result marked a fifth consecutive unbeaten match for the Blues, along with a sixth clean sheet in this season’s Under-18 Premier League.

What it means

Following this result, Chelsea remain in second position in the Under-18 Premier League table. This was our 15th league victory of the campaign, accumulating 49 points, just one away from top-of-the-table Tottenham Hotspur, with the Blues still having a game in hand.

What is next

Chelsea Under-18s continue our Premier League campaign this weekend, hosting West Ham United on Saturday 11 April at 11am at Cobham. Supporters worldwide can watch the game live, free of charge, on the Chelsea Official App and website.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Freddy Bernal; Lewi Richards, Dante Waite (c), Olutayo Subuloye (Calvin Diakite 79), Yisa Alao; Jacob Hall, Isaac Badu (Mathis Eboue 60), Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli; Sol Gordon (Heze Grimwade 64), Jashayde Greenwood (Chizaram Ezenwata 64), Kobe Barbour
Unused sub: Toby Bell
Scorers: Waite 31, Gordon 37, Richards 53, Greenwood pen 62

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Jack Porter, Abraham Owusu-Gyasi, Elyon Mbala, Callan Hamill (c), Patrick Stachow, Teshaun Murisa, Louis John, Maalik Hashi (Emerson Nwaneri 58), Kyran Thompson (Bowen Phillips 68), Aleksander Marciniak (Mishel Nduka 58), Brando Bailey-Joseph
Unused subs: Saurap Sampang, Remi Lupinski