Under-21s roar back to win quarter-final at Chelsea

Trailing inside four minutes to Shumaira Mheuka’s strike and under heavy pressure for much of the first half as the Blues hit the woodwork three times, we completely turned the tide after the interval, Mason Melia restoring parity after his penalty was saved before Reiss Russell-Denny smashed home against his former club to put us in front with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining.

The hard-working Leo Black, who provided the assist for Russell-Denny, then added his name to the scoresheet to round off a superb 3-1 win and book a semi-final date with either Brighton & Hove Albion or West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Friday.

Winners of the league phase of the campaign, Chelsea needed less than four minutes to take the lead at Kingsmeadow, Mheuka latching onto a forward pass from Genesis Antwi before lashing home – and in truth we were fortunate not to fall further behind during the remainder of the first half as the hosts stayed on the front foot. Kiano Dyer’s speculative shot cannoned off the near post and deflected off the back of goalkeeper Carey Bloedorn but, thankfully for us, pinged just wide while Jesse Derry’s curler later hit the post with Mheuka firing the rebound against the crossbar with the goal gaping.

Reggie Walsh was denied by Bloedorn while Mhueka and Derry saw shots deflected off target but we weren’t without threats of our own, Russell-Denny firing a free-kick through the wall but straight into the clutches of goalkeeper Max Merrick before delivering a cross which James Rowswell headed against the bar in first-half stoppage time.

Forward James Wilson, who was only fit enough for a place on the bench after battling through an ankle injury sustained against Leicester City last week, was introduced at the break and made a real difference in attack as we threatened a lot more in the second period while managing to contain Chelsea’s advances. Bloedorn was required for a sharp near-post save from Derry, but we earned a chance to draw level on 56 minutes when Wilson was bundled over from behind by Landon Emenalo and Melia slid the ball under Merrick after seeing his initial spot-kick saved by the keeper.

Melia had another shot blocked after exhibiting some good footwork in the box while Russell-Denny’s header from Wilson’s cross was saved by Merrick before we forged ahead on 75 minutes. After winning the ball back following a Chelsea throw-in in their left-back area, Black fed Russell-Denny and he swept high into the net to mark his first return to Chelsea since his transfer from the Blues mid-way through last season with a lovely strike.

Bloedorn pushed Mathis Eboue’s angled shot wide as the hosts tried to respond but we stayed in control, Ellis Lehane firing into the side-netting before we bagged a crucial third goal four minutes from time to kill off the tie, Wilson delivering from the right looking for Lehane, with the ball falling kindly for Black to run onto it and blast past Merrick. We saw out the remainder of the game, including eight minutes of stoppage time, to clinch a fifth consecutive win against Chelsea Under-21s and book our place in the last four.

‘We’re a team that never gives up’

Under-21s Coach Wayne Burnett praised his players for their work ethic and togetherness after a memorable victory across the capital: “I’m delighted for the staff and players that we’ve managed to progress into the next round,” he said. “Chelsea applied a lot of pressure – certainly in the first 15 or 20 minutes – and we found it really difficult to come to terms with that, but we stayed in the game and this is a team that shows real togetherness and mentality.

“Our defensive line was a bit too deep in the first half and they were playing between our lines but we tried to change that slightly in the second half and in that period we were very good. It was a collective effort from everyone. I’m really delighted for Reiss Russell-Denny to come back to his old club and put a performance in like he did and to score a goal, but I thought everyone played their part. I can’t emphasise enough the mentality and the togetherness, and I think that was the reason we’ve progressed.

“We played some good football in the second half and I thought the changes at half-time worked quite well. James Wilson hadn’t trained for the majority of the week, he’s done tremendously well to even get himself into a position to be on the bench but he came on and he did remarkably to get through the game – I’m delighted for him. He’s an extremely hard worker, but that mentality is contagious. You come into this group and the expectation from not only the staff but also from the other players is that we have to work. We’re a team that never gives up and, as I said, that behaviour can become contagious.”

Line-ups

Chelsea: Merrick, Antwi, Murray-Campbell, Wilson, Emenalo, Harrison, Cardoso (Eboue 76), Dyer, Mhueka (c), Walsh (Ezenwata 76), Derry. Substitutes (not used): Sands, Osagie, Rak-Sakyi.

Spurs: Bloedorn, Rowswell (c), Hardy (Logan 90+4), Cassanova, Arganese-McDermott, McFadden (Wilson 46), Black, Kyerematen (Furnell-Gill 90+4), Melia, Russell-Denny, T Thompson (Lehane 77). Substitute (not used): Archer.

Match data

Goals: Chelsea – Mhueka 4; Spurs – Melia 56, Russell-Denny 75, Black 88.

Yellow cards: Chelsea – Dyer 11, Wilson 35, Emenalo 55, Cardoso 61, Ezenwata 90+4, Murray-Campbell 90+8; Spurs – McFadden 43, Russell-Denny 90+6.

Referee: Alan Dale.

Venue: Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston upon Thames.

Weather: Sunny intervals, light winds, 18 degrees.