Crystal Palace's talented Under-18s put in a highly impressive performance to beat Chelsea 1-0 this afternoon in Cobham.
Paddy McCarthy's charges were tasked with overcoming their narrow loss to Arsenal and recover their momentum from an opening day victory over Southampton.
They did so in style through a well-taken Victor Akinwale effort, a right-footed shot with little space in the box which hit the turf before bouncing over the line.
Overall, the game was quiet and neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled - but Palace appeared assured and mature, highlighting why there is such excitement around this group of young Eagles.
Overcoming Chelsea in just their third competitive game as a Category 1 Academy makes this a day to remember for McCarthy and his players.
Lineups
Chelsea: Bergstrom, Brooking, Humphreys, Kpakpe, Wiggett, Tobin (Abu 85), Tauriainen, Soonsup-Bell, Webster, Elliot, Thomas.
Subs not used: Chibueze, Andersson, Mothersille.
Palace: Whitworth, Adaramola (Bello 85), Watson, Steele, Bartley, Wells-Morrison, Siddik, Smith (Thiselton 25), Akinwale (Cadogan 75), Omilabu, Mooney.
Subs not used: Rak Sakyi, Gonzalez.
Goals
66 minutes: Akinwale's strike is all that separates the sides by full-time.
Stats (Chelsea first)
- Possession: 53%-47%
- Shots: 10-1
- Shots on target: 3-1
- Corners: 3-1
- Fouls: 9-20
- Yellow cards: 0-0
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