Match Report: Portsmouth Youth 4 Chelsea Youth 3

[EskWeston 696]

An eventful game saw Chelsea youth come back from a one-goal deficit to lead 3-2 before eventually losing out to a freak goal in the dying minutes.

Chelsea fought hard in a game of end-to-end football under torrential rain, but left the Portsmouth training ground without any points from the final game of the season after a two penalty decisions went the wrong way.

Nic Heimann replaced Rhys Taylor between the posts while Ben Gordon, Jacob Mellis and Jack Saville all started in the back line with only Nikki Ahamed remaining from the defence that started against Leicester on Saturday.

Fabio Borini led the attack with Gaël Kakuta playing behind and Jordan Hibbert and Tom Taiwo held the centre of midfield.

It took only 12 minutes for Pompey to take the lead when Andrea Mutombo sent a free-kick curling into the six-yard box. As Heimann miss-timed his jump, the ball hit Tom Kilbey's head and bounced over the line.

Chelsea retaliated immediately when Kakuta broke down the centre of the field and launched a shot from the edge of the box, forcing an acrobatic save from Tom Smith between the Portsmouth posts.

It took until the 35th minute for the Blues to even the score when Adam Phillip picked up a stray ball from the Pompey defence and danced his way into the box before knocking it low past the oncoming Smith.

Minutes later Phillip nearly increased his score with two subsequent shots hitting defender and keeper as the hosts blocked his efforts.

Instead Portsmouth were the first team to score again when Saville pulled down Paris Cowan-Hall inside the box, forcing the referee to award a penalty and a yellow card for dissent as Saville argued with the decision.

Mutombo calmly converted the penalty as he sent Heimann the wrong way and slotted the ball into the bottom left in the 42nd minute.

http://www.chelseafc.com/javaImages/6e/98/0,,10268~3643502,00.jpg

Half time arrived and youth team coach Paul Clement made one change during the break, swapping Jeffrey Bruma (pictured) for Nikki Ahamed and bringing captain Taiwo into the right-back role while Bruma moved into the centre.

Mellis then moved up into the centre of the midfield, a role which he relished because within one minute of the restart, he made it two for the Blues.

He latched onto a fantastic Bruma long ball, from deep in the Chelsea half, ran into the box and tapped the ball beyond Smith's reach with his second touch.

Chelsea then took the lead when a Bruma free-kick from 25 yards out passed unchallenged through the defence and into the back of the net, much to the astonishment of Portsmouth.

But within three minutes a questionable penalty decision meant Chelsea's lead would not last long after the referee pointed to the spot when a shot bounced of Saville's shoulder.

Mathew Ritchie converted to score the first of his two goals in this fixture.

As the hour mark passed, Clement made two changes as Jacopo Sala came on to replace Ben Gordon in the left-back position. Jordan Tabor came on for Borini and moved onto the left-wing while Daniel Philliskirk moved up into a more attacking role.

Next it was Bruma's turn to attempt Chelsea's fourth as he twice leapt high onto Kakuta corners, first sending the ball low and then high towards the goal, but Smith was on hand to deny the Dutchman both times.

Then, in the 89th minute, Pompey secured their win with a freak goal when Ritchie miss-hit a cross which lobbed an outstretched Heimann to find the back of the net.

Sala then gave away a free-kick by pulling Ritchie's shirt on the edge of the box, Ritchie smashed the stationery ball into the Chelsea wall with the last kick of the game.

'It was an interesting game today, we're obviously disappointed to lose 4-3,' said Clement.

'We went into the last three games against Cardiff, Leicester and Portsmouth and we wanted to win all of the games and finish with a bit more respectable league position

'Unfortunately we have taken only two out of the nine points.

'But the positive to take from today is we fought very hard throughout which isn't always the case.

'In terms of the goals conceded, the first one Nic Heimann has come to try and catch the ball and obviously we want to encourage him to come out for those sort of balls - but unfortunately he missed it.

'With their penalties, the first may have been a penalty but I don't think the second one was. The fourth goal the player has totally miss-hit it and our keeper has miss-read it.

'So they are not great goals they put in, but for us to score three is pleasing and has been the story of our season, attacked brilliantly but at times defended not so well.

'But I was pleased with the effort of the players today,' he added.

Chelsea Nic Heimann; Nikki Ahamed (Jeffrey Bruma), Jack Saville, Jacob Mellis, Ben Gordon (Jacopo Sala); Tom Taiwo ©, Gaël Kakuta, Jordan Hibbert; Adam Phillip, Fabio Borini (Jordan Tabor), Daniel Philliskirk.

Scorers Phillip (35), Mellis (46), Bruma (58).

Booked Saville (42)

Source: Chelsea FC