Under-18s head coach Hassan Sulaiman reflected on his team's last outing, when we hosted Aston Villa at Cobham and secured an impressive 6-2 victory, our first in the Under-18 Premier League this season.

Five different players found the back of the net during that game. First-year scholar Tayo Subuloye scored a towering header to equalise, sending the teams into the break level.

Chelsea came out strong after the interval, with schoolboy Ryan Kavuma-McQueen netting a brace, and Sol Gordon and Frankie Runham soon followed, adding their names to the scoresheet.

Despite Aston Villa's attempt to fight back through Elijah Briscoe, substitute Yahya Idrissi sealed the win in stoppage time, ensuring all three points went to the Blues.

'We had our first league win of the season,' smiled Sulaiman. 'Besides the win, it was a pleasing performance and a positive reaction after the start we'd made.

'We emphasised the need for the boys to show maturity and, during the break, we had some powerful reflections, both individually and collectively. We looked at areas we could improve, like defensive nuances and how we could be more effective in attacking situations.

'When you look at what we’ve covered over the last couple of weeks and how we performed in this game, it was satisfying. The win makes it even more rewarding, especially in such a convincing manner. It’s the result of all the hard work the boys have put in over recent weeks.'

The head coach continued by dissecting game and addressing the team connection he saw throughout the 90 minutes, which he believes played a crucial role in getting the three points.

'Aston Villa actually took the lead in the first half, which you could argue was against the run of play, but we went in 1-1 at half-time with an equaliser just before the break.

'Before that, we created a number of chances and really dominated in terms of possession and entries into the box, thanks to a great team effort.

'The dressing room was confident at half-time because we knew we’d been the better side and that chances would come, but we also needed to lift our performance. We’ve been in this situation before, where we were level at half-time and dominating but didn’t go on to win.

'This time it was about learning from past mistakes, keeping discipline and maintaining the composure needed to get something from the game. We did that by scoring another five goals!'

With the Under-18s squad consisting largely of first-year scholars, alongside a few schoolboys stepping up, Sulaiman emphasised the importance of maturity and the mindset required at this level. He hopes to maintain this approach ahead of the West Ham fixture this weekend.

'More than anything, the defining factor was psychological - the boys believed they could win. They believed they could win their individual battles, wanted to score and were determined to keep the opposition from scoring. You could see the shift in mentality.

'We’ve spoken about the importance of mindset, and the need to keep battling and pushing themselves as far as possible. That’s what we saw against Aston Villa and it led us to the win.

'I hope we continue with the same positive attitude and momentum heading into the West Ham match. This positive energy is everything in football.'

Watch our young Blues in action

Supporters anywhere in the world can watch our Under-18s' next match for free via the live stream in the West Ham Under-18s vs Chelsea Under-18s Match Centre on the official Chelsea website and app.