Chelsea took control early at Norwich's training ground, with our captain Ishe Samuels-Smith opening the scoring just five minutes into the match. His unstoppable low strike found the bottom corner, giving us the perfect start on away soil.

As the first half went on, the Blues continued to dominate, and Donnell McNeilly added a second just before the break. He headed home Landon Emenalo’s whipped free-kick, making it 2-0 at half-time.

We came out strong in the second half, creating several chances as we pushed for a third. However, as the game neared its end, Norwich pulled one back through a powerful shot from Errol Mundle-Smith.

Despite that late goal, Chelsea stayed in control. In injury time, Ato Ampah was fouled in the box and Shumaira Mheuka stepped up to take the penalty. He calmly converted, scoring his fourth goal of the season, sealing a 3-1 victory for the Blues.

Strong start

Chelsea started the match on the front foot, showing early dominance. The breakthrough came courtesy of Samuels-Smith, who fired a precise strike into the bottom corner. The goal was crafted beautifully, with Kiano Dyer driving forward before floating a well-placed ball to Mheuka. The forward cut it back to the edge of the box, where Brodi Hughes spotted our captain and set him up for a thunderous finish beyond Ellis Craven in goal.

With momentum on our side, we continued to test the Norwich goalkeeper. Omari Kellyman made a sharp, darting run down the flank before unleashing a fierce strike from a tight angle. Craven reacted well to hold on to the shot.

Another opportunity followed as Kellyman found himself in a similar position. This time, Blues striker McNeilly pounced on a loose pass from the Norwich keeper inside the box. Though his initial effort was blocked, Kellyman latched onto the rebound, but could only find the side netting.

Super second

Our persistence paid off and the second goal arrived in impressive fashion through a well-executed set-piece. A perfectly floated free-kick into the penalty area from Emenalo found McNeilly in plenty of space, who connected with a glancing header. The ball nestled into the bottom corner, doubling our well-deserved advantage.

Chelsea continued to pile the pressure on Norwich, keeping their defence under constant strain. Dyer once again linked up with Mheuka out wide, who then spotted McNeilly lurking in the box, eager for his second of the afternoon. He struck a low, venomous shot towards goal, but Craven did well to parry it away.

Just as we were enjoying a dominant spell, an unfortunate setback struck. Kellyman, who had been lively throughout, pulled up injured in the build-up to an attacking move. Unable to continue, he was replaced by Ronnie Stutter in the front line.

Despite Chelsea’s control, Norwich had a rare moment of promise five minutes before half-time. Winger Mundle-Smith charged forward and unleashed a strike from the edge of the box. However, Blues shot-stopper Luke Campbell remained unfazed, watching the effort sail wide of the post.

That attempt did little to change the flow of the game. Chelsea swiftly shifted back onto the attack, with the energetic Dyer weaving past defenders before unleashing a powerful shot. His strike stung the palms of the Norwich goalkeeper, who did well to push it away.

It was an impressive first-half performance from Chelsea, heading into the break with a well-deserved two-goal lead. With the intensity high, the Blues looked determined to maintain control in the second half.

Much like in the first half, we started the second period with early attacking intent. Stutter came close to finding the net, but his powerful strike was stopped by Craven, keeping his name off the score sheet.

The Canaries were desperate to cut into our lead. First, striker Dylan Jones surged forward at pace and drilled a low shot toward goal, but his effort skidded wide past the post. Moments later, Mundle-Smith attempted a delicate chip, but Campbell remained composed, confidently collecting the ball.

The Blues' substitutes wasted no time making an impact. Ato Ampah immediately made his presence felt, working well inside the box before threading a perfectly weighted through-ball to Samuel Rak-Sakyi. The midfielder struck it cleanly, forcing the Norwich keeper into a sharp save.

The pressure didn’t stop there. Almost instantly, Samuels-Smith came extremely close to securing his brace. He connected with a whipped cross from Rak-Sakyi, surging forward to meet the ball with a close-range volley. However, Craven reacted swiftly, pulling off his best save yet.

But, following a quick counter-attack, our Friday opponents struck back. Aidan Bridge launched the ball up the pitch to find Mundle-Smith. He did well to travel inside the area and cut inside to shoot into the far corner, adding his name to the score sheet as we were heading into the final 10 minutes.

The home side were boosted by their goal, looking for a late comeback, and forced Campbell into making an impressive save from their goalscorer at a tight angle, but it wasn't destined to be the equaliser.

Final push

In stoppage time, Chelsea were awarded a penalty after Ampah, who had been a constant threat since coming on, weaved his way into the box. As he danced past his marker, he was brought down, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot.

Stepping up with confidence, Mheuka remained composed, coolly striking a powerful right-footed shot into the net to restore our two-goal cushion and put the result beyond doubt. At the final whistle, it was mission accomplished - three Premier League 2 points secured as we headed into the international break with back-to-back victories.

What's next

Chelsea Under-21s return to Premier League 2 action on Friday 4 April, when we host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, with kick-off at 7pm. Tickets are still available, with updated prices offering free entry for season ticket holders (both men's and women's teams), members and under-20s. General admission is priced at £4.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Luke Campbell; Brodi Hughes (Genesis Antwi h-t), Kaiden Wilson, Landon Emenalo (Harrison Murray-Campbell h-t), Ishe Samuels-Smith (c); Harrison McMahon, Samuel Rak-Sakyi; Omari Kellyman (Ronnie Stutter 35), Kiano Dyer, Shumaira Mheuka; Donnell McNeilly (Ato Ampah 68)
Unused sub: Ted Curd
Scorers: Samuels-Smith 6, McNeilly 23, Mheuka pen 90+4

Norwich City (4-3-3): Ellis Craven, Toby Chilvers, Vatan Ozcan, Theo Adelusi, Charlie Wilson (c), Harry Brooke (Miles Bracking 61), Errol Mundle-Smith, Uriah Djedje, Dylan Jones (Alex Roberts 74), Aidan Bridge (Alan Domeracki 85), Elliot Myles (Brandon Forbes 61)
Unused sub: Tom Finch
Scorer: Mundle-Smith 81
Booked: Adelusi 29, Djedje 60