U18 Report: Saints 2-1 Chelsea

The 17-year-old took his league goal tally for the season to eight, with two clinical finishes, before Chelsea’s Ollie Harrison scored from the spot late on, as Saints held their nerve to make it three wins on the spin for Calum McFarlane’s side.

Southampton came into the game off back-to-back victories in the cup and league, but struggled to stamp their authority on the match in the early stages.

Three changes were made from the 3-0 win over West Brom last time out, bringing in Aston Daley, Broghan Sewell and Sufianu Dibaga for Ben Sheaf, James Martin and Oli Newman.

Dibaga was becoming Southampton’s best outlet in the opening minutes, as the winger looked to cut back or cross in each time he was fed the ball.

It was almost high press versus low block as Saints struggled to create anything clear against a Chelsea defence that had shipped 17 goals in the league so far this season.

A free-kick from Josh Pitts from 25 yards, fired straight at the wall, was among the best chances in the opening 20 minutes for the home side.

Chelsea’s clearest efforts came as a result of Southampton giving the ball away in the middle of the park, however the Blues’ counter-attack failed to result in anything but half chances.

Most notably in the 16th minute, as Max Fry’s sloppy pass reached Chelsea’s Leo Cardoso, who charged down the left before cutting inside, unleashing a tame shot at Oscar Abbotson in goal. Easy pickings for the Saints keeper.

Just as Chelsea looked to be gaining in confidence, and controlling the tempo, the Saints breakthrough arrived.

A quick counter-attack after winning the ball back in the centre, it found its way out wide to Dibaga, who whipped a low cross into Oyekunle, sliding the ball past Chelsea stopper Hudson Sands to put Saints 1-0 up in the 28th minute.

Saints looked much more comfortable being in the lead, and another good chance shortly followed.

This time Pitts pushed the ball to his opposite flank, with Dibaga again finding Oyekunle in a good area. His shot stinging the palms of Sands.

In the final minute of normal time in the first half, Chelsea had another good opportunity to level things up.

Blues winger Frankie Runham’s free-kick from the right hand edge of the area more of a cross come shot, but still forcing a smart save from Abbotson.

With both sides unchanged at the break, it was Chelsea racing out of the traps looking for the equaliser. Trying to give Saints a taste of their own medicine by pressing high, penning Southampton in and preventing them from playing comfortably out from the back.

Saints were almost made to pay in the 51st minute, as another misplaced pass, this time from Moses Sesay, was intercepted by Charlie Holland who fed through Runham to shoot narrowly wide.

It became the busiest spell for Abbotson in the Saints goal, whose quick reactions twice kept out efforts from Sol Gordon.

Nick Oyekunle celebrates

With half an hour remaining, Saints made Chelsea rue those missed chances.

A smartly taken throw-in caught the Blues off guard, as Pitts switched the ball out to Dibaga to provide another low ball into the mixer, finding Oyekulne, whose tap in looked to have made it a comfortable afternoon for Southampton.

Chelsea’s double substitution of Yahya Idrissi and Walter Nutter replacing Holland and Gordon gave the Blues some added energy going into the final 10 or so minutes of the match.

That increased output paid off on 83 minutes, when Cardoso, arguably Chelsea’s best outlet all afternoon, charged through Southampton’s line, only to be brought down by Sewell inside the box.

Blues captain Ollie Harrison stepped up to dispatch the resulting penalty to the keeper’s left, sending Abbotson the wrong way.

Southampton proved resolute in the closing stages, digging deep to keep their opponents out once again, as Chelsea scrambled for a late point.

It wasn’t to be found, with Southampton holding on to victory, a win that moves them up to fourth in the Under-18 Premier League table.

Saints: Abbotson, Okunola-Matthews (Adjei-Afriye 68), Dobson-Ventura (c), Fry, Sewell, McMullen, Dibaga (Newman 77), Daley, Oyenkunle, Sesay (Martin 61), Pitts.

Subs not used: Upstell, Sheaf.

Goals: Oyekunle (28', 61').

Booked: Sewell, Oyekunle.

Chelsea: Sands, Antwi, Wheeler-Henry, Subuloye, Diakite, Holland (Nutter 78), Runham, Harrison (c), Kavuma-McQueen (Barbour 62), Cardoso, Gordon (Idrissi 78).

Subs not used: Bell, Hall.

Goals: Harrison (84' pen).

Booked: Holland.