The report

Chelsea Under-21s flew out of the blocks in our penultimate fixture of the Premier League Cup group stage, despite already being assured of our place in the knockout stages.

It took just four minutes for us to take the lead against Colchester United at Kingsmeadow, when Reiss Denny collected a kick from the opposition goalkeeper and fed Frankie Runham to produce great turn and finish to open the scoring.

The Blues continued to press and move the ball at a high tempo, and effectively killed the game off early with two more goals in quick succession to make it 3-0 inside the opening 20 minutes.

First Michael Golding slotted in after Chinonso Chibueze had laid off Runham’s cross in the box and then Zain Silcott-Duberry underlined our superiority by turning in at the second attempt at the near post after good work by Golding and Somto Boniface on the left wing.

Our control of the tie was never really challenged from there and we briefly extended our lead when Colchester’s Al-Amin Kazeem turned Silcott-Duberry’s cross into his own net in the second half, meaning Bradley Ihionvien’s last-minute goal for the visitors was merely a consolation.

The reaction

Under-21s head coach Mark Robinson was understandably delighted with his team's performance, but felt it was especially impressive given the circumstances. With his side already qualified for the next round and this match falling between the Under-18s' FA Youth Cup tie at Everton and the second leg of the men's Carabao Cup semi-final, it was a particularly youthful side which took on Colchester.

'Across the board, we must have averaged out at no more than 18 years old. We had 15 and 16-year-olds on the bench and the oldest player would have been the goalkeeper, Teddy Sharman-Lowe, who is 20,' explained Robinson.

'To make it all the more impressive, Colchester fielded a very experienced side at this level, with eight players that have been involved in their first-team squad over the last few weeks, and there was quite a lot of Football League experience on the pitch.

'We didn’t know our confirmed starting line-up until the morning of the game, so it was really important that we kept the messaging to the players concise and didn’t overload them with information.

'They were coming together to play for the first time as a group and it was a really young squad, with just a few Under-21s involved. We gave them a little bit of structure, but because we were already through, we really wanted to give them the freedom to go and play as well.

'And that’s what they did, because the first half-hour was as good as anything I’ve seen from us this season. We were on the front foot, played fantastic football, our movement and speed of play was exciting – it was a joy to watch and really pleasing.'

Robinson also felt our excellent start to the game set the tone for the match, with our opponents having no answer to the attacking football we displayed at Kingsmeadow.

'We didn’t have an average performer on the night – everyone played well and everyone played their part. We’re certainly not getting above ourselves, we never do, but you have to give credit where it’s due and, in so many aspects, it was a great performance from the boys.

'Going 3-0 up inside 20 minutes made it incredibly difficult for Colchester to respond. From there, we were very much in control. We kept our shape throughout the second half, kept playing good, quick football and causing them problems.

'The only slight disappointment of the night was conceding a late goal, but that happens when there’s a little bit of tiredness. Overall, we were never really in any kind of danger, which is particularly pleasing when you look at the inexperience of the side we fielded.

'It’s great for the younger lads to play in any kind of Under-21s competition, but to do so against players in their early 20s, who have had Football League experience, it’s all the more impressive.

'There were elements of the game that would have demanded different things than they are used to in younger age groups, but their discipline and structure was fantastic. That gave them the freedom to express themselves going forward, which they certainly did.'

The teams

Chelsea 4-1 Colchester United

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Ted Sharman-Lowe; Richard Olise (Genesis Antwi 77), Billy Gee (c), Zak Sturge (Saheed Olagunju 77); Zain Silcott-Duberry, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Reiss Denny (Landon Emenalo 77), Somto Boniface; Michael Golding, Frankie Runham (Rio Ngumoha 66); Chinonso Chibueze
Unused sub: Luke Campbell
Scorers: Runham 4, Golding 14, Silcott-Duberry 17, Kazeem og 83
Booked: Gee 67, Ngumoha 90+3

Colchester (3-4-3): Sam Hornby, Jade Jay Mingi (Gene Kennedy h-t), Marley Marshall-Miranda, William Greenidge, Nico Lawrence (Frankie Edwards 62), Frankie Terry (Jet Dyer 73), Trialist, Chay Cooper, Bradley Ihionvien, Owura Edwards (Archie Oliver 77), Al-Amin Kazeem
Unused sub: Ted Collins
Scorer: Ihionvien 89