Mheuka opened the scoring with a well-taken penalty after Gordon was brought down in the area by Owen Powell. Despite dominating possession, Chelsea couldn't maintain the lead as Lewis Bailey equalised for Stoke before half-time.

Hassan Sulaiman’s side came out with high energy after the break. Mheuka scored his second goal with a fine volley, and then Gordon doubled the lead by slotting the ball past the Stoke keeper following nice team link-up play.

The visitors managed to score a stoppage-time goal when Gabriel Garside-Kelly capitalised on a defensive mix-up, leaving the final score 3-2.

A strong start

Our Premier League Cup opener started off strong, with Sulaiman’s squad aiming to begin the competition with boldness and intensity - and we did just that.

Chelsea came out on the front foot, applying immediate pressure. Ollie Harrison weaved his way into the box and sent in a looping cross to Gordon, who drilled the ball towards the bottom corner. However, the Stoke keeper did well to keep out the effort.

Another opportunity soon followed. Our captain, Harrison, charged into the box and sent an accurate ball to schoolboy Chizaram Ezenwata, who tried his luck to find the opener. But his shot was intercepted by Kobie Hines-Leacock and cleared out of danger.

By the quarter-hour mark, it was clear we were on top. Our defenders dominated, consistently stealing the ball from Stoke's strikers. Landon Emenalo sent dangerous balls forward for Ezenwata to fire off shots, making it only a matter of time before we found a breakthrough.

Yahya Idrissi showcased his technical footwork, steering his way through a flock of Stoke defenders to lay the ball off for Gordon on the wing. Gordon smashed a low strike on target, but Mike Zeitzen did well to guard his keeper’s backline.

Just before the half-hour mark, we were awarded a penalty when Gordon was brought down inside the box by Powell during the build-up to a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Mheuka stepped up to the spot, composed, and sent the ball straight down the middle, leaving the keeper with no chance to save, giving the young Blues the lead we deserved.

Stoke strike back

However, after our positive spell, the visitors hit back. Stoke secured an equaliser when Jayden Ogbebor made a smart run down the pitch, losing his Chelsea defender, and laid off the ball for Bailey, who tapped it in beating Kai Crampton to the back of the net.

That didn’t faze Chelsea too much, though. Ezenwata made a clever run to the edge of the box and unleashed a stinging effort at goal. It looked destined to go in, but the keeper did well to reach and push the ball away, denying our chance to restore the lead, meaning the score remained level at the break.

Back on the front foot

We came out after the break with the same dominance and intent as in the first half, quickly restoring our advantage. Idrissi did well to control the ball while charging upfield and crossed it towards the back post, where Mheuka volleyed straight into the back of the net.

Stoke had a promising opportunity when Ogbebor sent in a dangerous curling corner. Powell did well to connect with a powerful header, but the effort skimmed over the crossbar.

The young Blues' momentum kept building though, and we were soon rewarded with another goal, this time from 16-year-old Gordon. Walter Nutter delivered an impressive high ball to the teenager, who seized the opportunity during a counter-attack. After making a strong run into the area, he skilfully shrugged off his Stoke defender and calmly slotted the ball past the keeper.

Chelsea nearly found a fourth goal when substitute Marcell Washington dribbled his way down the pitch and fired a squared ball to the edge of the box. Mheuka smashed it towards goal, but a Stoke defender did well to deflect the shot.

Despite our dominance, the visitors continued to battle, and in the closing minutes of stoppage time, Garside-Kelly capitalised on a Chelsea defensive error and fired the ball past Crampton, leaving the final score 3-2.

What's next

Chelsea will return to Under-18 Premier League action this Saturday as we host Leicester City at Cobham Training Ground with a kick off time of 12pm.

The Teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Kai Crampton; Joseph Wheeler-Henry (Harry Rodda 83), Lewi Richards, Olutayo Subuloye, Saheed Olagunju; Landon Emenalo (Walter Nutter 83), Chizaram Ezenwata; Ollie Harrison (c), Yahya Idrissi (Marcell Washington 63), Sol Gordon; Shumaira Mheuka
Unused subs: Jack Austin, Reggie Walsh
Scorers: Mheuka 30, 49, Gordon 82

Stoke City: Mike Zeitzen, Jyo Angina, Kobie Hines-Leacock (Pedro Nzau 48), Owen Powell, Laurence Giani, Lewis Walker, Elliot Fearn (Ryan wu 85), Ogi Enabulele (Gabriel Kelly h/t), Jayden Ogbebor, Lewis Bailey (Rocco Bardsley 70), Connor Day
Unused sub: Ruben Brammer
Scorers: Bailey 37, Garside-Kelly 90+1