Our young Under-18s squad showed great character and team spirit in Saturday morning’s clash against Norwich City, continuing our winning form.

Although Norwich started stronger, it was schoolboy Ryan Kavuma-McQueen who broke the deadlock with a brilliant effort. He applied pressure on a Norwich defender, dispossessed him and slotted the ball into the bottom corner to put us 1-0 up.

In the second half, we pressed immediately, pinning Norwich back in their own box. Another schoolboy, Reggie Walsh, scored his first Under-18 goal, finishing a beautiful team move. Charlie Holland spotted Chizaram Ezenwata, who unselfishly backheeled to Walsh, who hammered it home.

Despite losing Genesis Antwi to a red card for a tough tackle, we stayed composed. Our momentum didn’t slow and we added a third when Ollie Harrison delivered a perfect ball into the area for Sol Gordon to head home.

Norwich managed to squeeze a goal past Hudson Sands through Toby Chilvers, but it wasn’t enough. Our young Blues secured an impressive 3-1 win, securing back-to-back league victories.

Tested early

It was a quick start to our away fixture, with the hosts kicking off the game with intensity. The Canaries pressed hard from the beginning, pushing us back into our own area.

In the opening minutes, we had to stay alert and defend but Chelsea rose to the challenge as Landon Emenalo and Antwi stayed calm under pressure, intercepting any threatening shots that Norwich created in the first five minutes.

Our defender Olutayo Subuloye was soon called into action when La'Sean Sealey sent a dangerous cross into the area. Subuloye reacted quickly, leaping to stretch his leg and clear the ball before the home side could capitalise.

The Canaries kept up the pressure and Sands, our shot-stopper, was forced into a brilliant double save as Lloyd Ofori-Manteaw launched a powerful strike from range. Sands blocked it and then turned away a follow-up effort from a tight angle.

Despite Norwich’s aggressive start, we began finding our rhythm and creating threatening moves of our own. Antwi made powerful runs up the wing, swinging crosses into the penalty area, but the Canaries’ defence held firm.

Kavuma-McQueen also worked hard out on the wing, though he struggled to navigate past the cluster of Norwich defenders.

Our best chance soon arrived when Antwi broke upfield into open space, releasing a through ball to Gordon. His chipped shot from a tight angle nearly found the net, but Norwich’s Henry Bullen managed to tip it over the crossbar with a full-stretch save.

Approaching the half-hour mark, the league fixture turned cagey as both teams fought to break the deadlock. Chelsea started enjoying more possession and applied pressure, trying to find a way through Norwich’s solid defensive line.

Young Blues midfielder Holland showed promise moving the ball upfield with support from Barbour, but Norwich’s defence held firm once again.

We came extremely close again when Kavuma-McQueen, charging upfield, controlled the ball well and unleashed a powerful shot as he entered the area. But his attempt sailed just over the crossbar, denying us the lead once more.

Pressure pays off

Finally, the breakthrough came from Kavuma-McQueen. The attacker dispossessed Norwich’s Finlay Oligbo, sprinting forward and applying pressure. With skill and composure, he dribbled upfield, cut inside his marker and smashed a low right-footed shot straight into the bottom corner. It was a great solo effort, which put us in the lead at the break.

Chelsea began the second half as the brighter side, creating the first chance through Barbour. Making a clever run, he danced his way into the penalty area and hammered a shot at goal, but it skimmed just over the crossbar. It was a clear warning to Norwich that we were looking to extend our advantage.

Shortly after, Norwich nearly equalised when Vatan Ozcan picked up a pass from Ofori-Manteaw and fired a powerful strike. It smashed against the side netting, giving Chelsea a close escape.

We reacted well, keeping the pressure on Norwich making it a busy period for their defenders and keeper as we continued to throw obstacles at them.

Gordon remained a constant threat to Bullen, with three consecutive attempts. One was a notably stinging shot from a corner, which the keeper just managed to push over the goal, preventing us from extending the lead.

Our striker then received the ball inside the area during a quick break, sending a well-taken low shot on his right foot, but the Norwich keeper somehow denied the effort and collected the ball.

Looking increasingly dangerous, Hassan Sulaiman made a change, bringing on fresh legs to keep up our growing momentum. Moroccan international Yahyah Idrissi soon forced Bullen into a bold save.

Our goalscorer of the afternoon, Kavuma-McQueen, tried his luck again with a venomous strike, but the Norwich keeper reacted well, diving to keep it out.

Captain Harrison grew influential sending a looping ball to Kavuma-McQueen, who cut it back to Gordon. Gordon tapped the ball toward goal, but the chance lacked the power needed to beat the Canaries’ shot-stopper.

Schoolboy magic

It felt like only a matter of time before we would extend our advantage and we did it in true Chelsea style.

The move began with Holland surging forward and spotting substitute Ezenwata on the edge of the box. Ezenwata coolly backheeled the ball for Walsh, who ran onto it and hammered it into the bottom corner, scoring his first goal for the Under-18s.

Even as we entered the closing stages clearly in control, we faced a setback when we went down to 10 men after Antwi was sent off for a hard tackle on Sealey.

Adding a third

Although reduced to 10 men, we pushed on and found our third goal through Gordon, who had been lively since the second half began. Harrison sent a looping ball into the area and our No.9, perfectly positioned, rose to head it home just in front of goal.

However, just as we looked set to keep a clean sheet, Norwich struck back as the home side fought until the end. A long-range effort from Chilvers flew into the top corner, out of Sands’ reach.

But Norwich’s late goal wasn’t enough to counter our lead and we returned to Cobham with all three Under-18 Premier League points, marking our fourth league win of the season.

What's next

After the upcoming international break, we return to Under-18 Premier League Cup action with an away fixture against Millwall as we continue our group-stage fixtures. The game kicks off at 11am on Saturday November 23, at the Lions' training ground.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hudson Sands; Genesis Antwi, Olutayo Subuloye, Landon Emenalo, Calvin Diakite (Harry McGlinchey 73); Charlie Holland, Ollie Harrison (c); Kobe Barbour (Yahyah Idrissi 58), Reggie Walsh (Lewi Richards 81), Ryan Kavuma-McQueen (Chizaram Ezenwata 73); Sol Gordon
Unused subs: Freddy Bernal
Scorers: Kavuma-McQueen 43, Walsh 76, Gordon 90+2
Sent off: Antwi 79
Booked: Subuloye 53, Idrissi 61, Ezenwata 82

Norwich City (4-3-3): Henry Bullen, Finlay Oligbo (Rio Mundle 59), Vatan Ozcan (Ben Tree 73), Tyler Williams, Oser Okpiahele, Theodore Adelusi, Toby Chilvers, Lloyd Ofori-Manteaw, Finlay Corke, Hugo Valencia Gomez (Foden Northover 59), La'Sean Sealey
Unused subs: Jack Ruddy, Zach Sclare
Scorer: Chilvers 90+4
Booked: Williams 38, Ofori-Manteaw 90+5, Sealey 86