Chelsea started our busy run of two fixtures in four days with a brilliant performance in front of our home crowd, applying immediate pressure from the first whistle.

Harvey Vale opened the scoring early in the first half, tapping in a rebound from Deivid Washington after his attempt was blocked by the opposition.

Building on that momentum, our flow continued to improve. Deivid eventually added his name to the scoresheet, finishing a powerful cutback from Brodi Hughes with a precise strike into the bottom corner.

Despite Dani Diaz's impressive long-range goal which allowed the visitors to narrow the gap, we ultimately held on to our first-half lead to secure the victory for the evening.

Quick out of the blocks

The international fixture began with high intensity and it was our Tuesday night opponents who had the first chance at goal. Real Sociedad’s Alex Marchal worked his way upfield and unleashed a stinging low shot, but Marcus Bettinelli, our goalkeeper for the night, dived perfectly to push the effort away.

But it was Chelsea who took the lead just five minutes into the match. After a brilliant sprint down the wing, Richard Olise he spotted Deivid in the area. Our Brazilian forward maneuvered past a few defenders and fired at goal, but a Sociedad defender managed to clear the shot. Fortunately, our captain Vale was on hand to slot home the rebound, giving the Blues an early advantage.

Real Sociedad fought hard for an equaliser, with Arkaitz Mariezkurrena making dangerous runs upfield, but Chelsea’s tall defender Kaiden Wilson stayed alert and intercepted key threats.

The Blues continued to apply pressure. Olise surged down the wing into open space and delivered a precise cutback to Deivid, who laid it off perfectly for youngster Shumaira Mheuka. Sociedad had a narrow escape when Mheuka found space in a promising position, but he couldn't find the target.

Our dominance grew and Samuel Rak-Sakyi sent a looping long-ball to Vale inside the area, but a Sociedad defender made a critical block to divert the shot.

Lead extended

However, the Blues didn’t have to wait long for our second goal, which came through a fine team effort. Hughes sprinted upfield and delivered a perfect cutback for Deivid, who slid the ball into the bottom corner to double the lead.

Olise continued to enjoy the wing, charging upfield and finding Hughes. He took a shot from a tight angle, but his effort lacked the power to beat the keeper. Mheuka had another chance to score after Deivid weaved his way into the penalty area and fed him a short pass but, advancing in a one-on-one position, Mheuka's shot drifted wide of the far post.

Chelsea’s confidence was clear and we maintained control. Deivid, lively throughout, worked his way into the area, shrugged off his marker and found himself in a one-on-one situation. His attempt to chip the Aitor Fraga was saved by the keeper, who came off his line and stopped the effort with an outstretched arm.

The Spanish side's Dario Ramirez nearly pulled one back after capitalising on a loose ball. Storming into the area, he smashed a shot at goal, but the spin sent it just over the crossbar. Chelsea held a solid 2-0 lead at the break.

The second half began as fast-paced as the first. Real Sociedad created the next real chance after the restart, with Ramirez storming into the area and firing a powerful shot. Bettinelli reacted quickly, diving to push the effort out of danger.

Chelsea soon regained momentum from the opening 45 minutes. Vale earned a free kick in a promising position, but Fraga made a solid catch from his powerful effort.

Our defence was tested shortly after when Alex Lebarbier fired a close-range shot. Hughes made a crucial block, sticking out his leg to stop the attempt before it could trouble our keeper.

The game entered a quieter spell with both teams struggling to add to the scoreline, although it looked like that might change when we were awarded a penalty. Substitute Ato Ampah was brought down in the area by a combination of Martin Arruti and Inaki Ruperez after using his tricky footwork to advance into the box. Ampah stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his right-footed shot was saved as the Spanish keeper dived the right way to deny him.

Spaniards push back

Action quickly shifted to the other end. Bettinelli was called into action again to stop Ruperez's long-range strike, keeping our lead intact.

The Blues pushed hard to extend our advantage. Hughes made a smart run up the wing, cutting the ball back to Donnell McNeilly, but his shot flew over the crossbar.

Real Sociedad pulled a goal back late on through substitute Diaz. He weaved his way towards the box and struck a low shot beyond our keeper's reach, giving his side late hope.

Despite the pressure, we stayed calm and composed, seeing out the match to secure a hard-fought win on home turf. This marked our second victory in the competition, leaving us with six points from three games, with one left to play.

What's next

Chelsea Under-21s face a quick turnaround, as we take on Derby County for the second time this season, this time in the Premier League 2 this Friday evening. The match will take place at the Proctor Cars Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-2-1): Marcus Bettinelli; Brodi Hughes, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Kaiden Wilson, Ishe Samuels Smith; Samuel Rak-Sakyi (Ato Ampah h-t), Harvey Vale, Richard Olise (Zak Sturge 68); Shumaira Mheuka (Donnell McNeilly h-t), Zain Silcott-Duberry; Deivid Washington (Jimmy-Jay Morgan 79)
Unused subs: Kai Crampton, Reiss Russell-Denny, Travis Akomeah
Scorers: Vale 5, Washington 21
Booked: Silcott-Duberry 46, McNeilly 75

Real Sociedad (4-3-2-1): Aitor Fraga, Inaki Ruperez, Unax Agote, Luken Beitia, Iker Ropero, Alex Lebarbier (Iker Ferrer 79), Dario Ramirez, Martin Arruti (Gorka Gorosabel 79), Pablo Arenzana (Eloy Nebreda 61), Arkaitz Mariezkurrena (Dani Diaz 61), Alex Marchal (Ibai Cabo 31)
Unused subs: Ekain Diaz De Acda, Akos Tompa
Scorer: Diaz 87
Booked: Ramirez 55, Ruperez 76, Beitia 80