We started our Under-18 Premier League fixture brightly, dominating possession and putting Fulham under pressure, pinning them back into their own box and we eventually broke the deadlock through a great team move.

Kobe Barbour, who was lively from the start, sprinted up the wing to deliver a perfect cross that Sol Gordon flicked toward Frankie Runham, who tapped the ball into the bottom corner after collecting the rebound from a saved effort, putting the Blues ahead at half-time.

After the restart, we maintained that energy, leading to a penalty from a handball shout in the area. Our captain for the afternoon, Ollie Harrison, stepped up and sent the ball straight into the back of the net, leaving the Fulham keeper helpless due to the power behind the shot.

Although Fulham's Tom Wingate scored following a quick counter-attack, putting the ball beyond Hudson Sands' reach, we showed character to maintain our advantage and came out on top in the grudge match.

Building momentum

The West London derby began with fierce intensity as Chelsea pushed forward from the first whistle, applying constant pressure on Fulham.

The young Blues looked sharp and cohesive, working as a compact unit to pin our Saturday morning opponents deep into their own half. Harrison linked up smoothly with Genesis Antwi, who charged down the wing and sent in dangerous crosses that skimmed just past the goal.

Chelsea’s threat only grew as the team showed some beautiful link-up play. Antwi, a powerhouse down the flank, sprinted into space and delivered a pass to Runham inside the box. But despite being close to goal, Runham’s shot smashed into the side netting, missing another chance to open the scoring.

The young Blues' confidence was building rapidly. Barbour stormed upfield, finding open space and charging towards the box he unleashed a powerful strike, but it flew just over the crossbar, narrowly missing an early lead.

At this point, it was all Chelsea with the Blues relentlessly pressuring Fulham’s defence. Leo Cardoso added to the action, using quick footwork to work his way into the box. He cut inside his defender and took a strong shot, but the effort drifted wide giving Fulham a narrow escape.

Barbour came close once again when Gordon intercepted a loose ball and made a driving run forward, setting up Barbour with a perfect pass. But, his strike was quickly smothered by Fulham’s goalkeeper, Marco Underwood, who protected the goal well.

Though Chelsea were dominating possession, Fulham gradually began to settle into the game. Aidan Evans managed to work his way into our area, however a solid defensive partnership between Antwi and Joseph Wheeler-Henry held firm, winning back the ball and removing any danger.

Hard work pays off

Finally, Chelsea’s persistence paid off and the well-deserved lead arrived. The goal came from a brilliant team play that started with a run from Barbour on the wing. He made a looping cutback to Gordon, who flicked a header into the box. Runham was waiting and, though his first effort was saved, he calmly tapped in the rebound, slotting it into the bottom corner to break the deadlock.

Runham soon had another chance at goal when Calvin Diakite threaded a pass into him inside the area. This time, Runham went for a chipped shot but Underwood reacted quickly, catching the attempt to prevent Chelsea from doubling our lead.

The young Blues continued to make things difficult for the Cottagers, determined to make the most of our momentum before the break.

Captain Harrison had the final real chance of the first half, firing a shot from outside the box that bounced just wide, sending Chelsea into the interval with a well-earned 1-0 lead.

From the spot

Chelsea started the second half with the same intensity and it paid off instantly. Runham danced inside the area and as he made his cutback during a goal-scoring opportunity, the ball struck Alfie White’s hands, prompting the referee to instantly point to the spot.

Harrison calmly stepped up and sent the ball straight into the bottom corner with such power that it slipped through the Fulham keeper’s gloves, extending our advantage.

Fulham turned up their aggression to try and pull the score back. Our first-year scholar, shot-stopper Sands, was called into action when Macaulay Zepa took a curling effort from distance that looked destined for the top corner. But the young Blues keeper leapt and tipped away the effort with his fingertips.

With that momentum, Fulham did eventually hit back through a quick counter attack, finding the back of the net from a strike by Wingate after Farhaan Ali Wahid fed him a quick ball. The Cottagers’ striker was in open space, able to control it and fire straight into the corner, beating Sands at the near post.

In response, Hassan Sulaiman turned to his bench to bring on fresh legs in the hope of adding more energy - and that’s exactly what it did.

Schoolboy Ryan Kavuma-McQueen showed some nice work out on the wing and drilled a low shot, but it rolled just wide, denying him a spot on the scoresheet. Another opportunity came from a Chelsea set-piece. It was Cardoso’s swinging corner, which Fulham tried to clear. Defender Wheeler-Henry picked it up and tried his luck, but the shot skied over the crossbar.

As we entered the closing stages of our Under-18 Premier League fixture, Cardoso had a promising chance. He stormed into the penalty area, weaving past players in white and smashed a shot at goal, but the Fulham keeper did well to block and divert it.

The final minutes of our home fixture became almost end-to-end with both sides creating chances. The Blues held together and showed resilience, especially when defending a Logan Cooke flicked header from close range that nodded just wide, ensuring the three points from this London derby were ours.

It ensures a successful start to the weekend for the Academy, with both the Under-21 and now Under-18s winning their respective London derbies.

What's next

Chelsea will return to action next Saturday, travelling to face Norwich in the Under-18 Premier League. The match kicks off at 11am. Supporters worldwide can watch the game for free on the Official Chelsea App and website. Access the live stream through the Norwich Under-18 vs. Chelsea Under-18 Match Centre.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hudson Sands; Genesis Antwi, Joseph Wheeler-Henry, Olutayo Subuloye, Calvin Diakite; Landon Emenalo (Charlie Holland 75), Ollie Harrison (c); Leo Cardoso, Frankie Runham, Kobe Barbour (Ryan Kavuma-McQueen 53); Sol Gordon (Yahya Idrissi 89)
Unused subs: Freddy Bernal, Harry McGlinchey
Scorers: Runham 32, Harrison 50
Booked: Antwi 22, Emenalo 28, Runham 56, Charlie Holland 76

Fulham (4-3-3): Marco Underwood (c) (Dino Kaiser 73), Alex Faux, Luca Picotto, Logan Cooke, Quinn Schutter (Archie Taylor 62), Ruban Khan, Macaulay Zepa, Alfie White, Tom Wingate, Aidan Evans (Bashil Lubega 67), Farhaan Ali Wahid
Unused subs: Dylan Degale, Harley Platel
Scorer: Wingate 60
Booked: White 44, Wingate 60