It was a feisty fixture for our Under-18s last weekend as we faced Millwall on their home turf, securing a third consecutive win across all competitions. That victory also extended our winning streak in the Under-18 Premier League Cup, booking our spot in the quarter-finals.

We started our final group game brightly at Millwall's training ground, opening the scoring just six minutes into the game through Under-18s top scorer Sol Gordon. The momentum continued after the break, when Leo Cardoso added our second with his third goal of the season. Gordon wasn’t finished yet either, scoring again to make it 3-0.

Just before the final whistle, George Beaumont pulled one back for Millwall, but we continued to fight and Frankie Runham completed the victory with a goal in stoppage time, bringing the final score to 4-1 and ensuring we top Group F with a perfect record of nine points.

From a Chelsea perspective, there was a heightened desire to win following our last meeting with the Lions in the FA Youth Cup during the 2023/24 season. On that occasion, the Blues' cup run came to an end after a 1-1 draw, losing 4-2 on penalties at The Den in the quarter-finals.

'It was a strong performance against Millwall,' Sulaiman began. 'We had to psychologically prepare the boys for that game because it was a wet and windy day and they were going into the Lions’ den.

'The boys knew what to expect. Millwall were going to be tough and strong, and of course we had some reflections on last season’s FA Youth Cup defeat to Millwall. We knew there would be a lot of importance on winning second balls and we had to prepare the boys for that type of game.

'The team took it all on board and I was very pleased with the boys’ performance. They showed fight, grit, determination, and they won their headers and their tackles on a pitch that was cut up and bobbly.'

This season, our Under-18s squad is particularly young, with several schoolboys stepping up alongside our first-year scholars, who make up a large portion of the team. Sulaiman has emphasised the importance of mindset, especially since for many of these players it will be their first season at Under-18s level.

'We went 1-0 up early on, through Sol [Gordon], which helped, but we had to do the other side of the game too. Later on in the first half, Millwall had a couple of corners back-to-back and Sol was the player who got back to clear one off the line to keep it at 1-0, which is testament to his mentality.

'It was his birthday the previous day and he had just signed a professional contract so it was a good week for him, as he went on to score another goal in this game as well.

'We knew we needed to take something from the game if we wanted to progress from the group stage, as we had six points and Millwall had four, and only one team goes through. So we showed a lot of character to go on and win it. We scored two goals in quick succession midway through the second half, with Leo [Cardoso] and Sol on target, before Millwall pulled one back.

'Then we went on to make it 4-1 late in the game and make it certain. Yahya [Idrissi] came on as a substitute and worked hard as a No9 in the time he was on the pitch. He was involved in the last goal, before Joseph [Wheeler-Henry] crossed for Frankie [Runham] to score after arriving at the back post.

'Overall it capped off a really good performance, played with the right energy. I was happy and now we have to do the same again against Tottenham Hotspur.'

Watch our London derby

That next match for Chelsea Under-18s against Tottenham Hotspur will take place Cobham this coming Saturday 30 November, with kick-off at 11am.

The Blues will look to build on our previous Under-18 Premier League outing, a 3-1 victory at Norwich City, where goals from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Reggie Walsh and a stoppage-time strike by Sol Gordon secured the win. Another win against Tottenham would also see us rise above Spurs in the table.

Supporters worldwide can watch the match live for free on the official Chelsea app and website in the Chelsea Under-18s vs Tottenham Hotspur Match Centre, which you can find by clicking below or on the homepage shortly before kick-off.