Although Chelsea started brightly, breaking the deadlock through schoolboy Reggie Walsh's fine low finish, the hosts quickly responded with Chido Obi-Martin slotting in the equaliser, before James Scanlon scored twice before the break.

Manchester United picked up where they left off in the second half, Obi-Martin adding two more goals to complete his hat-trick, making it 5-1.

Despite giving everything until the final whistle, Hassan Sulaiman's young side couldn’t overturn that scoreline, bringing this season's FA Youth Cup campaign to an end in the fifth round.

Fast start

Chelsea began on the front foot, dominating possession and making our presence felt on away turf. Building from the back, Olutayo Subuloye linked well with attacking right-back Genesis Antwi to push forward, but United’s defence held firm, preventing any clear-cut chances.

The hosts soon found their rhythm and began to threaten the Blues' area. Jack Fletcher played a clipped ball through to Gabriele Biancheri, who seemed poised for a one-on-one before going down under Landon Emenalo's challenge. However, any penalty claims were waved away, as the offside flag was raised.

United continued to probe, with Obi-Martin testing Chelsea keeper Hudson Sands with a low drive, but Sands remained composed and gathered confidently.

The home side’s confidence grew and they nearly broke the deadlock. Jaydan Kamason, a constant menace, charged into the penalty area and delivered a looping cross. Fletcher met it at the back post, but his effort rattled the crossbar. Sands reacted quickly to save from the rebound too, preventing United from capitalising.

End-to-end action

Chelsea responded well. Schoolboy winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen drove forward, cut inside and drilled a low strike at goal, forcing a sharp save from Will Murdock.

Next time, however, the Blues were clinical. Midfielder Kiano Dyer pressed Biancheri into an error, causing him to slip. Seizing the moment, Dyer surged forward and squared the ball for Walsh to unleash a venomous low strike beyond the United keeper, putting Chelsea ahead.

The lead was short-lived, though. United hit back immediately, with Kamason once again at the heart of the move. He played an accurate looping ball through to Obi-Martin, who held off Emenalo and finished over Sands to level the score.

Chasing the game

With momentum shifting, United took the lead for the first time. Kamason escaped Kavuma-McQueen down the wing and delivered a pin-point cross into the box. Scanlon met it with a bullet header, leaving Sands with no chance.

Just before the break, United struck again. Fletcher launched a long volleyed pass to Scanlon, who did well to escape Calvin Diakite before rifling a low shot past Sands, extending the Reds’ lead to 3-1.

Chelsea's captain, Ollie Harrison, made a crucial last-minute block to deny Biancheri from close range, preventing United from further extending their lead. It was an intense first half, leaving Chelsea with work to do after the restart.

The Blues started the second period strongly, almost finding the back of the net through Dyer, who was in an excellent position after getting on the end of a Shumaira Mheuka cross. However, his close-range effort was denied by a brilliant save from Murdock.

Heartbreaking moments

Frustration followed. After a bright spell, it was United who hit back, finding their fourth goal. Biancheri applied pressure with a high press as we tried to play out from the back, winning the ball to make a simple pass across the box, where Obi-Martin was in the right place to tap it in, securing his second goal of the match.

As United’s striker looked for his hat-trick, Sands was called into action, making an important save from a fierce strike inside the box. The action quickly shifted and Mheuka had a chance of his own, with a strike from a tight angle, but it smashed into the side-netting, letting United off the hook.

The Blues' disappointment grew further when Obi-Martin eventually added to his tally following a set-piece. Fletcher delivered a free-kick into the box, where the Blues defenders did well initially to attempt to clear the danger. But Obi-Martin was quick to pounce on the loose ball, finishing with a low shot into the net.

We fought until the final whistle, hoping for a late comeback. Substitute Yahya Idrissi linked up beautifully with Chizaram Ezenwata as he sprinted towards goal. The latter's effort drifted wide of the target, but in truth our chance of overturning Manchester United’s lead had already slipped away by then.

What is next

Chelsea will look to bounce back as we shift our focus to Under-18 Premier League action. We are set to host Arsenal in a London derby at Cobham on Tuesday 18 February, with an 11am kick-off. Supporters worldwide can watch the fixture for free on the official Chelsea app and website.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Hudson Sands; Genesis Antwi, Olutayo Subuloye, Landon Emenalo, Calvin Diakite (Joseph Wheeler-Henry 88); Ollie Harrison (c) (Charlie Holland 83), Leo Cardoso (Yahya Idrissi 83), Kiano Dyer; Shumaira Mheuka, Reggie Walsh (Chizaram Ezenwata h-t), Ryan Kavuma-McQueen (Ibrahim Rabbaj 68)
Unused subs: Freddy Bernal, Dante Waite
Scorer: Walsh 21
Booked: Harrison 63

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Will Murdock, Jaydan Kamason, Reece Munro, Daniel Armer, Harry Amass, Jacob Devaney (c) (Amir Ibragimov 79), James Scanlon (Jim Thwaites 79), Tyler Fletcher, Chido Obi-Martin (Shea Lacey 82), Jack Fletcher (Jayce Fitzerald 74), Gabriele Biancheri (Victor Musa 62)
Unused subs: Godwill Kukonki, Cameron Bryne-Hughes
Scorers: Obi-Martin 26, 50, 64, Scanlon 34, 38