Chelsea have retained the FA Youth Cup after beating Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. Under the watchful gaze of Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, under-18 manager Joe Edwards saw his side come from a goal down in the second leg to win 2-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
The young Blues were confident going into the tie, having already won the first leg 3-1 in Manchester. But they had to show their resolve when Kelechi Iheanacho put the Sky Blues one up after just six minutes.
Izzy Brown soon put the Londoners back on level terms when he headed in captain Charlie Colkett’s cross. Then, early in the second half, Tammy Abraham steered Dominic Solanke’s cross into the back of the net to all but end the match as a contest.
It was, incredibly, Abraham’s 39th goal in all competitions this season, and those goals have helped steer the Chelsea youth side to their fourth FA Youth Cup in the past six seasons.
On their way to the final the Chelsea team have had to overcome Tottenham, Newcastle and Swansea. They were rewarded on the night of the final by not only being watched by Abramovich, but also by Chelsea’s Technical Director Michael Emenalo and the Chairman Bruce Buck.
It remains to be seen whether any of the players will be able to take the step up to the first team, but the future is looking very bright indeed for the club that will soon be crowned Premier League Champions.