Filipe Coelho's side were on top from the get-go and dominated the opening period. Yet Fulham's backline held firm and the hosts managed to go into the break with the score goalless.

However, once the deadlock was broken soon after the restart, the goals flowed freely for the Blues. Donnell McNeilly opened the scoring after combining with Tyrique George, and it was roles reversed soon after as George found the top corner from a McNeilly pass.

Richard Olise added our third by guiding home a rebound after another McNeilly effort was saved and schoolboy Shumaira Mheuka followed up with his special moment, as he found the top corner with precision.

As it appeared the game was drifting toward a conclusion, substitutes Deivid Washington and Jimmy-Jay Morgan made their mark. The forwards both struck in stoppage time to ensure the scoreline reflected our tur dominance across the 90 minutes.

A strong start

With confidence high after a comprehensive win in the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday evening, our Under-21s created chances from the off. The first fell to McNeilly after a nice passing move but his powerful strike cleared the crossbar.

Mheuka was next to go close. The 16-year-old was able to get on the end of a looping cross from Olise, who had been teed up by Brodi Hughes, but the striker's header from close range drifted wide.

Fulham fashioned a rare chance of their own when Josh King used his speed to escape his Chelsea marker and square for Martial Good, but his attempt failed to hit the target.

The Blues responded. Captain for the night Harvey Vale delivered an accurate swinging corner that Ishe Samuels-Smith almost met with a header, but a Fulham defender made a bold block.

Chelsea continued to dominate possession and after a smart passage of play, Kiano Dyer curled a clever ball into the area and a Mheuka header forced Alexander Borto into a sharp save.

George, fresh off featuring against Gent for the senior team on Thursday evening, almost broke the deadlock when he beat a Fulham defender and drilled a low strike toward goal. Once again, Borto managed to keep it out.

Despite our chances and pressure, we headed into the break frustrated.

The floodgates open

After the break, the Blues immediately put pressure on Fulham backline. Olise forced Borto into another stop with a powerful effort; George’s hammered strike required a goal-line clearance from Bradley De Jesus.

A Chelsea goal felt inevitable – and we took the lead in the 52nd minute thanks to the excellent partnership between George and McNeilly.

The former capitalised on a defensive mistake by Fulham having applied pressure to win the ball back, and he made a quick pass to McNeilly who rifled a shot into the bottom corner. Borto had no chance.

George and McNeilly's partnership resulted in our second five minutes later. This time, George found the back of the net with a powerful shot that rocketed into the far corner after a surging run and pass from McNeilly.

Chelsea's confidence grew with a two-goal lead established and soon our third of the evening arrived.

George and McNeilly were at the heart of the action, leading a swift counter-attack. And although McNeilly’s shot was initially saved by Borto, Olise was quick to pounce on the rebound and slot the ball into the bottom corner.

A special moment

Mheuka, still only a schoolboy, then celebrated a milestone moment as he netted his first Premier League 2 goal.

Kiano Dyer was the orchestrator as he found Mheuka in the Fulham penalty box and the young striker fired a right-footed effort into the top corner.

The goal was struck with 20 minutes to play and Coehlo opted to turn to his bench to freshen up his attack. It paid off in the dying minutes as the two forwards introduced both found the net.

Washington added to the scoreline with a superb solo effort. He took on his man, cut inside, and thrashed the ball into the corner, highlighting his finishing ability.

And as the game came to its end, Morgan added further gloss with a composed finish after Washington found him inside the box. A convincing and deserved victory was secure.

What's next

After the international break, Chelsea Under-21s will shift our focus to the Premier League Cup, where we will face Bournemouth.

The match will take place at New Cuthbury with kick-off scheduled for 7pm on Monday 21 October.

The teams

Chelsea(3-4-2-1): Max Merrick; Brodi Hughes (Harrison Murray-Campbell 82), Kaiden Wilson, Ishe Sameuls-Smith; Ricard Olise, Alex Matos (Sam Rak-Sakyi 82), Kiano Dyer, Harvey Vale (c); Donnell McNeilly (Deivid Washington 75), Tyrique George (Zain Silcott-Duberry 75); Shumaira Mheuka (Jimmy-Jay Morgan 71)
Booked: Matos 32, George 34, Dyer 89, Wilson 90+3
Scorers: McNeilly 52, George 57, Olise 63, Mheuka 70, Washington 90, Morgan 90+6

Fulham: Alexander Borto, Bradley De Jesus, Bradley Slade, Jonathan Esenga, Luc De Fougerolles, Chris Donnell (c), Terrell Works (Lemar Gordon h-t), Joshua King (Damon Park 84), Callum Osmond (Chibby Nwoko 73), Kristian Sekularec (Aaron Loupalo Bi 62), Martial Godo
Unused subs: Alfie McNally