http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2018/04/ youth-cup-report--chelsea-v-arsenal.html Youth Cup report: Chelsea 3 Arsenal 1 Fri 27 Apr 2018 Chelsea Under-18s came from behind to gain the advantage over Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup final after the first leg at Stamford Bridge. Jody Morris's side dominated the early play but spurned opportunities and went a goal down after Xavier Amaechi ran in behind and finished beyond Jamie Cumming 10 minutes before half-time. Our response was befitting of a side who have lifted this trophy in five of the past six seasons as Daishawn Redan, introduced from the bench after an hour, netted twice in 20 minutes either side of a thumping header from Marc Guehi. The two sides will resume the action in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium this Monday 30 April as the Blues seek a record-equalling fifth consecutive triumph. Morris made four changes from the semi-final second leg win against Birmingham City as the Blues attempted to swiftly put behind them the disappointment of defeat in the UEFA Youth League final earlier in the week. Cumming, shootout hero in the European semi-final, returned along with Guehi, Jon Panzo and Conor Gallagher. The latter trio all featured in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup final earlier in the season, along with George McEachran and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who also started against the Gunners. Cumming started between the sticks behind a back four of Tariq Lamptey, captain Reece James, Guehi and Panzo, while Gallagher partnered Billy Gilmour in central midfield. Charlie Brown was preferred to lead the line up front supported by an attacking cast of Tariq Uwakwe, McEachran and Hudson-Odoi. Arsenal made two changes from their 5-0 semi-final victory over Blackpool but it was the Blues who started on the front foot in the rain at the Bridge. Lamptey accelerated away from two red shirts on the right touchline to get the crowd on their feet before Brown and McEachran combined to tee up Hudson-Odoi for the final's first real chance, the forward thwarted in the air at the back post by a crucial header behind from Vontae Daley-Campbell. Brown then flicked a header wide from the following corner but there was an even better opportunity for the striker two minutes later as he ought to have put the holders ahead. James's searching diagonal pass was perfectly measured to find McEachran's forward run and the midfielder cushioned a gorgeous first-time touch into the path of Brown, though his finish was less composed and flew off-target. The hosts were looking to get down the sides of their London rivals and cause problems from wide areas but their bright start and flurry of early chances soon dissipated as the Gunners slowly settled. Emile Smith-Rowe fired a free-kick into the Chelsea wall after 15 minutes before Cumming was forced into action to preserve our campaign clean sheet. Amaechi, scorer of four Arsenal goals en route to the final, caused the initial danger with a purposeful run down the left and his cutback was inviting for James Olayinka, who missed the ball entirely. However, Daley-Campbell kept the move alive by delivering from the right and Amaechi's low drive was pushed away by the keeper down low to his right. It was a warning sign for the hosts, who had made a promising start but failed to convert that into an advantage on the scoreboard. Brown placed an effort just wide from Uwakwe's delivery midway through the half before the latter had a go himself from the right, cutting inside but firing straight at Joao Virginia, the Arsenal goalkeeper. The Portuguese stopper was more severely tested moments later from a Hudson-Odoi free-kick, positioned 20 yards out and curled precisely towards the far top corner, but he sprung off his line to make an impressive flying save. Those spurned chances were punished nine minutes before the break as the Gunners broke the deadlock in the final. It came largely against the run of play, Smith-Rowe slipping into a pocket of space between our defensive and midfield lines before feeding an incisive pass forward for Amaechi. The England Under-17 forward kept his composure, clipping a confident finish over the onrushing goalkeeper and in off the post. It was the first goal conceded by the Blues on this cup run, an impressive statistic in itself, but left significant work for Morris's men to do. Gilmour and Uwakwe were thwarted in the latter stages of the half as Arsenal, managed by Kwame Ampadu, the father of our 17-year-old defender Ethan, retired for the interval with a slender advantage. Trailing in the Youth Cup for the first time since the 2015 semi-final, a response was required in the second period. The lively McEachran received a pass in the box from Hudson-Odoi but failed to hit the target with a low shot across goal, while Gilmour's effort was blocked again as the Gunners frustrated us with their defensive organisation and commitment. Dujon Sterling had been introduced at half-time and the 18-year-old went close to drawing us level on the hour mark with a smart strike on the spin, though Virginia just about shovelled the ball behind in slightly unconventional fashion. However, our persistence was soon to reap rewards as another substitute finally found the breakthrough for the holders. Morris swapped strikers by sending on Redan for Brown in a like-for-like change and the Dutchman's impact was swiftly felt as he levelled the tie six minutes after entering the fray. McEachran played the role of creator once again, flicking a lovely ball over the top for the forward to race on to and slot his finish neatly beyond Virginia. The Blues had momentum now but Arsenal continued to compete in midfield and marshal our forward players as we pushed for a winner. Virginia made a smart save to fingertip Gallagher's dipping cross-cum-shot over the crossbar, while the visitors threatened on the break as Bukayo Saka's drive was charged down and Dominic Thompson fired the rebound high into the Shed Upper. Our comeback was completed with 12 minutes of the first leg remaining as Guehi, goalscorer in the Under-17 World Cup final for England, continued his impressive scoring season with another final goal. The centre-back was initially bypassed by a corner from the left but James did well to recycle and delivered a super cross which his fellow defender met with a powerful header into the back of the net. Not content with taking a one-goal lead to north London, Morris's men smelt blood and added a third late in the game. Castillo trotted on in place of Lamptey and instantly collected possession, dribbling down the right and crossing into the middle. Zech Medley reached it first but miskicked his clearance and Redan was on hand to smash the loose ball in for his 20th goal of the season. There was still time remaining for Redan to complete his hat-trick as McEachran mesmerised defenders in the box with impressive footwork, but the striker blazed over from 12 yards out. Nevertheless, this was a pleasing night's work for Morris and his youngsters, who will have a two-goal advantage heading into Monday's decisive second leg, where they can make history by lifting a fifth Youth Cup in a row. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2018/04/ youth-cup-reaction--important-impact.html Youth Cup reaction: Important impact Sat 28 Apr 2018 Our youngsters claimed the first-leg initiative in the FA Youth Cup final after coming from behind to beat Arsenal 3-1 at Stamford Bridge and take an important lead to north London for the return on Monday. The Blues trailed at half-time, the first time our Under-18s have been behind in a Youth Cup tie for three years, but they showed character and commitment to fight back and overturn the deficit, eventually running out 3-1 winners after goals from defender Marc Guehi and Daishawn Redan, the substitute striker. After the game, manager Jody Morris reflected on a performance he was ultimately pleased with, though he urged his players to be more ruthless in front of goal in the second leg. 'We're pleased with the performance,' he told the official Chelsea website. 'Being 1-0 down at half-time was quite unjust because I felt we were the better team for the majority of the first half and should have had three goals at least. It's rare for us to be behind in games but we told the lads not to panic because we know we're fully capable of putting goals past any team. 'Thankfully, we managed to do that in the second half and again I felt we should have scored more. It's a bit of a broken record for me to keep talking about missed chances but you have to make sure in finals and one-off games that you don't let too many opportunities go by. Arsenal were well-organised for long periods and difficult to break down so you never know when your next chance might be coming. 'We had chances not just in front of goal but to play people in better but we have a two-goal cushion going into the second leg which means Arsenal will have to come at us at the Emirates and hopefully we have more opportunities to score there.' The impact from the bench was significant as Redan bagged a brace in 20 minutes after his introduction, while Juan Castillo delivered for his compatriot's second goal practically as soon as he ran on. Such options are always useful for a coach and Morris admitted afterwards that the bench was carefully considered as part of the pre-match plans. 'We picked all four outfield subs deliberately so they could have an impact on the game,' he explained. 'It was certainly something we spoke about beforehand, knowing that we've got some big talent on the bench that can cause problems, and I'm pleased they did that. 'We felt at the start of the second half there was a bit more room in behind the Arsenal defence and that lends itself to Daishawn's game, particularly when you have somebody like George McEachran on the ball who can see a pass so well. It's always nice when your subs have an effect on the game but we're fortunate to have a lot of very good players and the whole team showed good character.' The holders still have work to do at the Emirates if they are to be crowned Youth Cup champions for a fifth consecutive year but Morris praised the response and resilience of his players to put a disappointing result in the UEFA Youth League final behind them and right some wrongs. 'We've been in these finals a lot in recent years so we touched on that before the game but at the same time we also had a lot of these players involved in losing a European final at the start of the week,' continued the Under-18s manager. 'There wasn't much time to recover from that and sometimes that sort of defeat can knock the stuffing out of you as players but they showed a good response. We have winners throughout our team and I think that experience also plays a part.' The second leg takes place at the Emirates Stadium this Monday 30 April, kick-off 7.45pm, live on Chelsea TV. Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Jamie Cumming Tariq Lamptey Reece James (c) Marc Guehi Jon Panzo (Juan Castillo 85) Billy Gilmour Conor Gallagher Tariq Uwakwe George McEachran Callum Hudson-Odoi (Dujon Sterling h/t) Charlie Brown (Daishawn Redan 61) Unused subs - Karlo Ziger, Tino Anjorin Scorers - Redan 67, 86; Guehi 78 Arsenal Joao Virginia, Vontae Daley-Campbell, Dominic Thompson, Robbie Burton, Danny Ballard (c), Zech Medley (Joseph Olowu 88), James Olayinka, Matthew Smith (Bukayo Saka 67), Tyreece John-Jules, Emile Smith-Rowe (Trae Coyle 62), Xavier Amaechi Unused subs - Tobi Omole, Daniel Barden Scorer - Amaechi 36 Booked - Burton 50 Referee - Tim Robinson Crowd - 4,878 - Additional pictures courtesy of Mark Sandom and Dan Davies -- ╔══╗╔╗╔╗╔══╗╔╗ ╔══╗╔══╗╔══╗ ║╔═╝║╚╝║║╔═╝║║ ║╔═╝║╔═╝║╔╗║ ║║ ║╔╗║║╔═╝║║ ╚═╗║║╔═╝║╚╝║ ║╚═╗║║║║║╚═╗║╚═╗╔═╝║║╚═╗║╔╗║ ╚══╝╚╝╚╝╚══╝╚══╝╚══╝╚══╝╚╝╚╝ -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 36.231.238.10 ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Chelsea/M.1524854915.A.F4C.html ※ 編輯: JamesCaesar (36.231.145.15), 05/02/2018 17:22:08

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