Ezenwata opened the scoring after just a quarter of an hour, rising highest to meet a perfectly delivered corner and head the Blues into an early lead.

After the interval, Reading were reduced to 10 men when Harley Irish was shown a straight red card for a foul on Ezenwata. Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Royals remained dangerous and struck back through Tyler Adjei, who finished a swift counter to level the scores.

Chelsea regained the lead within minutes. Charlie Holland was brought down in the box and Ezenwata stepped up to calmly convert the penalty, marking his 13th goal of the season and his sixth from the spot to make it 2-1.

The Blues extended our advantage just four minutes later. Mathis Eboue surged forward, leaving his marker behind before laying off a precise pass to Barbour, who finished neatly into the corner to seal the win. We held on to maintain our unbeaten Under-18 Premier League record and move above Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the Southern section of the table.

Stamping our authority

Chelsea burst out of the blocks, immediately putting Reading under pressure. The team moved in perfect sync, building from the back and probing the opposition, leaving the hosts with barely any possession in the opening exchanges.

The Blues came close to breaking the deadlock soon after. Ibrahim Rabbaj masterminded a clever move, delivering a precise cross into the penalty area where striker Ezenwata met it with a header - only for Toby Borgnis to dive and push the effort wide. It was a seamless link-up that showcased Chelsea’s attacking threat.

The breakthrough followed shortly after from the resulting corner. Rabbaj lofted a perfect ball into the box and Ezenwata rose highest between two towering defenders to power a header into the bottom corner, leaving Borgnis helpless. Chelsea deservedly took the lead in the early stages of the game.

Despite continuing to dominate, we remained wary of Reading on the counter. As the game approached the half-hour mark, the Royals began to find some rhythm. Striker Kallum Fuller-Thompson came close to equalising with a low strike from inside the box, but the effort drifted wide to the relief of the Blues.

Chelsea maintained our composure and soon created another near chance. Midfielder Charlie Holland, fresh from an Under-21 appearance the previous night, swung in a dangerous free-kick. Sol Gordon flicked the ball on at the far post, where Jacob Hall’s follow-up strike was superbly tipped onto the crossbar by Borgnis. It was almost perfection.

The Royals’ keeper remained alert, denying Gordon again as he cut inside and tested the goalkeeper. After a commanding first 45 minutes, we went into the interval with a deserved 1-0 lead.

Dramatic return

The Blues continued to press for another goal as they returned to the pitch for the final 45 minutes. Under-18s head coach Dan Hogan made his first change, bringing on Eboue for Gordon to inject fresh attacking energy.

The initially cagey second half shifted dramatically when Reading were reduced to ten men. Their captain, Irish, was shown a straight red card for pulling down Ezenwata as he drove toward goal, denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Despite being a man down, the hosts showed resilience. A quick counter-attack saw Fuller-Thompson set up substitute Adjei, who worked his way to the edge of the box, found space and fired into the top corner, beating schoolboy Isaac Collinson to level the scores.

Blues turn up the heat

But our determination only intensified. With pressure mounting inside the area, Holland was brought down after Matthias Ojo clumsily collided with the midfielder. Ezenwata stepped up, composed himself and drilled a low, powerful shot into the bottom corner, registering his second of the afternoon.

Riding that momentum, we extended our lead with a slick piece of link-up play. Eboue surged upfield, leaving his marker behind before threading a perfectly weighted pass to Barbour. The winger’s clinical strike rattled the post and nestled into the back of the net, leaving the Royals helpless and putting Chelsea 3-1 ahead.

With everything falling in Chelsea’s favour, the Blues pushed for a fourth. Substitute Jashayde Greenwood made an immediate impact, unleashing a fierce strike on goal, but the Royals’ keeper was equal to it.

The final chance fell to Holland, who lifted a teasing ball to defender Riely Ebho. His flick across goal found young Heze Grimwade, who smashed a close-range effort, only for Borgnis to produce a frustrating save.

When the final whistle blew, it marked a strong start to the Under-18s’ week, with Chelsea securing valuable Premier League points back to Surrey.

What's next

Our second fixture of the week sees us travel to Norwich City in the Under-18 Premier League. Kick-off is at 11am on Saturday and the match will be available to watch on the Chelsea Official App and website.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Isaac Collinson; Riley Ebho, Dante Waite (c), Lewi Richards, Jacob Hall; Charlie Holland, Isaac Badu, Kobe Barbour (Heze Grimwade 79); Ibrahim Rabbaj, Chizaram Ezenwata (Jashayde Greenwood 79), Sol Gordon (Mathis Eboue 58)
Unused subs: Antoni Miernik, Calvin Diakite
Scorers: Ezenwata 15, 71 (P), Barbour 75

Reading: Toby Borgnis, Ryan Zie, Callum Cliff, Ryan Beacroft (Matthias Ojo 67), Anthony Dove, Harley Irish (c), Henry Agyekum (Deshaun Musgrave-Dore h-t), Schofield Lonmeni, Kallum Fuller-Thompson, Aaron Nour (Tyler Adjei h-t), T'Shay St. Louis
Unused subs: Matthew Pullinger, Dnayo Hunte
Sent off: Irish 64
Scorer: Adjei 68

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