U18 Premier League Match Report - Chelsea 6 Fulham 1

Chelsea 6 Fulham 1

Our youngsters continued their winning start to the Under-18 Premier League season and extended their lead at the top of the southern section as they came from behind to record a big victory over their London neighbours on a remarkable morning at Cobham.
Jody Morris’s side made a slow start and fell behind midway through the first half as Jayden Harris slotted in the opener, our first league goal conceded this term. However, the reigning national league and cup champions demonstrated mental strength and mettle in their response, overturning the deficit with six goals without reply.
Billy Gilmour fired in the leveller with a super volley before Martell Taylor-Crossdale notched a 10-minute hat-trick with a treble of close-range finishes after assists from Tariq Lamptey, Reece James and Daishawn Redan. Redan nodded in a close-range goal of his own before the break, while Tino Anjorin added a sixth in the second half as the Blues made it six wins from six to maintain their 100 per cent league record in 2017/18.
Morris made four changes from the big victory at Swansea a week previously, all enforced through either injury or international duty. Marc Guehi, Jon Panzo and Conor Gallagher, along with George McEachran and Callum Hudson-Odoi, will spend the next month in India with England’s youngsters at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, while Juan Castillo missed out with a knock.
The absences allowed for two schoolboy starters in the form of Anjorin and Dynel Simeu, the latter one of our back three alongside Marcel Lavinier and Jack Wakely. James skippered the side at right wing-back, with Lamptey on the opposite flank on his 17th birthday and fresh from putting pen to paper on his first professional contract at the club.
After starting in Wales for our fifth clean sheet in five league outings, Nicolas Tie kept his place in goal, while Taylor-Crossdale and Redan were both scorers at Swansea and continued to lead the line in attack. Tariq Uwakwe, Gilmour and Anjorin formed the trio in central midfield.

The visitors included 16-year-old Matt O’Riley in their starting team, the midfielder having played for the senior side in the Carabao Cup this term, and he went close with the game’s first opportunity as his free-kick flew narrowly wide of the right post.
Fulham continued to enjoy the better of the opening exchanges as a much-changed home team struggled to find their flow. Nico Santos shot wide after advancing through the middle and O’Riley forced a comfortable catch from Tie before the Cottagers took the lead midway through the half. A ball forward was flicked on and fashioned a three-versus-two situation for the Whites, who exploited the chance well as Santos supplied for Harris to roll the ball beyond Tie at the near post.
Morris’s men had been punished for a sluggish start and their 43-game unbeaten home run looked in threat before a remarkable turnaround saw them net five goals in a frantic 13-minute spell. The equaliser came from our first corner and first shot on target less than four minutes after we fell behind. Uwakwe’s right-sided corner was cleared only as far as Gilmour on the edge of the box and the summer signing from Rangers beat Luca Ashby-Hammond with a brilliant strike on the volley.
Taylor-Crossdale netted the first of his 10-minute treble with half hour on the clock, the striker’s clever near-post run paying dividends as he turned Lamptey’s low cross into the back of the net from close range. The 17-year-old notched his second two minutes later as a brilliant delivery from James on the opposite wing was dispatched, again at the near post.
Anjorin saw a powerful strike blocked well by Joe Felix before Redan scored his third goal in two games, the Dutch forward nodding in from inside the six-yard box after Uwakwe’s corner had been headed back into the danger zone by James.

Daishawn Redan heads in our fourth goal of the morning.

It was almost 5-1 and a maiden youth team goal for schoolboy Anjorin moments later, the midfielder bundling through the middle before striking a bouncing ball inches wide with his left foot. However, the fifth did arrive for the league leaders before the interval as Redan turned provider, demonstrating pace and strength down the right before supplying for another predatory finish from Taylor-Crossdale to complete his hat-trick.
The second period could not maintain the frenetic pace and drama of the first but there will still opportunities down both ends. Tie closed down quickly off his line to make a good save to deny Cameron Thompson, while Lamptey went close to a birthday goal but was thwarted by Ashby-Hammond after a run down the left.
Fulham introduced Timmy Abraham after an hour to add some vibrancy to their attack, though the younger brother of our on-loan striker failed to get the better of the impressive Wakely in defence. Anjorin added a sixth for the Blues with his final contribution of the morning, poking a dropping ball into the bottom corner from six yards out after Taylor-Crossdale and Redan had won aerial duels in the box.

Schoolboy midfielder Tino Anjorin poked in his maiden youth team goal in the second half.

Substitute Renedi Masampu went close to scoring his first goal for the club, flying in at the back post with a header just wide after another inviting inswinging corner delivered by Uwakwe. Down the other end, Tie dominated his area as he claimed several high balls in from wide and made a routine stop from Santos.
Nevertheless, another victory had long been safely secured as we moved five points clear at the top of the Under-18 Premier League South. Our youngsters return to action in a fortnight with a trip to Leicester City.

Chelsea (3-5-2) Nicolas Tie; Marcel Lavinier, Jack Wakely, Dynel Simeu (Renedi Masampu 62); Reece James (c), Tariq Uwakwe, Tino Anjorin (Tushaun Walters 65), Billy Gilmour (Clinton Mola 70), Tariq Lamptey; Martell Taylor-Crossdale, Daishawn Redan
Unused subs Clinton Mola, Karlo Ziger, Charlie Brown
Scorers Gilmour 27; Taylor-Crossdale 30, 32, 40; Redan 36; Anjorin 64
Booked Masampu

Fulham Luca Ashby-Hammond, Joe Felix, Dan Martin, Tyrese Francois, Zico Asaire, Jose Garrido (c), Reece York (Sonny Hilton 58), Matt O’Riley (Timmy Abraham 58), Cameron Thompson, Jayden Harris, Nico Santos (Shawkat Tahir 85)
Unused subs George Wickens, Ben Davis
Scorer Harris 23
Booked Hilton, Harris

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