Fulham’s under 21s produced a formidable display to thrash Chelsea 4-0 at Kingsmeadow tonight and reach the final of the Premier League Cup.
The Whites ended the contest inside the first 36 minutes by scoring four goals with a breathtaking performance full of attacking football that blew their local rivals away. Delano McCoy-Splatt and Devan Tanton fired Hayden Mullins’ men into a commanding position with two goals in the space of three early first-half minutes and subsequent strikes from Terrell Works and Adrion Pajaziti put the contest beyond Chelsea before half-time.
The visitors were on the front foot from the outside and could easily have gone ahead inside four minutes when a brilliant bit of combination play saw Tanton and Works play a one-two only for the winger’s effort to roll wide after taking a deflection. The reprieve was shortlived for the young Blues. McCoy-Splatt surged onto a wonderfully weighted ball from Works and the Jamaican international’s finish was too hot to handle at his near post for home goalkeeper Ted Curd.
Midfielder McCoy-Splatt turned creator two minutes later, picking up the overlapping Tanton in all sorts of space on the right flank. The Colombian international fired a fabulous low finish into the bottom corner across Curd, who this time stood absolutely no chance. The home side gradually settled and saw plenty of the ball, but it was Fulham who extended their lead 25 minutes in.
Callum Osmand robbed Kiano Dyer of possession and the Welshman played Works into a one-on-one with Curd, with the winger making no mistake from close range to grab a deserved goal. The young Whites ruthlessly punished another Chelsea error as captain Matt Dibley-Dias slid in to win the ball back from Leo Castledine and Josh King found Pajaziti on the left flank and the reigning PL2 player of the month drilled Fulham’s fourth between Curd and his near post.
Mark Robinson’s side came out for the second half determined to prove a point and almost clawed a goal back three minutes after half time. Dujuan Richards raced onto a long ball down the right but Jimmy-Jay Morgan couldn’t convert his cut back from six yards out. Fulham still threatened, though, with McCoy-Splatt firing wide and it took a triple change to bring more potency to Chelsea’s attack.
Two of the substitutions almost made an immediate impact with Tyrique George skying a shot over the bar from Donnell McNeilly’s cross before Alex Borto was finally forced into meaningful action with less than fifteen minutes to play. The American goalkeeper did well to parry a venomous free-kick from Richards and made two more stops from the Jamaican striker as the young Whites recorded a resounding victory.
CHELSEA UNDER 21s (3-4-1-2): Curd; Hughes, Acheampong (Wilson 78); Williams; Silcott-Duberry (Moreira 62), Sturge, Dyer, Tauriainen (Golding 72); Castledine (George 62); Richards, Morgan (McNeilly 62).
BOOKED: Castledine.
FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-3-3): Borto; Tanton, Okkas, Araujo, de Fougerolles; Dibley-Dias, McCoy-Splatt (Amissah 87), King (McAvoy 88); Works (Gordon 72), Pajaziti, Osmand (Loupalo-Bi 67). Subs (not used): McNally.
GOALS: McCoy-Splatt (9), Tanton (11), Works (25), Pajaziti (36).
REFEREE: Andrew Humphries.
