U18s Report & Highlights: Palace defeated in see-saw match with Chelsea

Summary:

• 1: Crystal Palace U18 begin their first home game of the 2025/26 season.
• 5: Eboue fires an early chance over the bar for Chelsea.
• 6 – GOAL: Barbour gives the Blues the lead.
• 14 – GOAL: Casey converts for Palace from the penalty spot.
• 15: Whitworth saves Ezenwata’s formidable shot.
• 20 – GOAL: Walker-Smith scores a powerful header to give Eagles the lead.
• 34: Casey is unable to beat Bernal in a one-on-one.
• HT: Palace 2-1 Chelsea
• 67 – GOAL: Ezenwata levels the game with a free kick.
• 69 – GOAL: Eboue’s near-post strike gives Chelsea the lead.
• 73: Angibeaud and Greaves miss the chance to equalise.
• 86: Top save from Bernal denies close-range Oduro header.
• 90+1 – GOAL: Walker-Smith scores an own goal as Chelsea's win is sealed.
• FT: Palace 2-4 Chelsea

Following their impeccable curtain raiser last weekend, Crystal Palace U18s looked to follow their impressive 8-0 victory over Birmingham City with another strong performance.

They faced Chelsea, a talented side who finished fourth in the 2024/25 Premier League South, to open their account at home for the season.

Palace made just one change for the fixture, Khyan Frazer-Williams replacing Joel Drakes-Thomas, who was included in the club’s Under-21s victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night.

Regardless of Palace’s form and confidence, it was immediately obvious that Chelsea would provide a far more competitive test than newly promoted Birmingham. After Mathis Eboue sent the first effort of the game narrowly over the bar, Kobe Barbour gave the visitors the lead in just six minutes.

The ball was worked wide to Sol Gordon on the left, who followed two neat step-overs with a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Barbour, allowing him to place a first-time strike past Harry Whitworth.

Credit to Palace, though, as the Young Eagles did not shy away from the challenge in front of them. With two goals to his name already this season, Benji Casey won a penalty for the hosts, nipping in front of Calvin Diakite when battling for a loose ball.

Highlighting the forward’s palpable confidence, Casey stepped up to take the kick, slotting the ball into the bottom corner to bring the scores level again.

Whitworth was able to support his striker’s work by producing a smart save to deny Chizeram Ezenwata’s powerful effort, and Charlie Walker-Smith added his name to the score sheet quickly after to take Palace into the lead.

Latching onto Jacob Fasida’s inviting free-kick delivery, the Palace centre-back powerfully headed the ball downwards and past the helpless Chelsea goalkeeper, Freddie Bernal.

Momentum was favouring the Young Eagles following their second goal. Shortly before the break, Donte Martin released Casey in behind the Chelsea defence with a probing through ball. As is so often the case, the Palace forward battled with the defenders, finding adequate space to shoot, but Bernal managed to divert his close-range shot wide of the target.

The opening phases of the second half lacked the same quality that was on display in the first. As the teams lacked fluidity, it took a moment of inspiration from Ezenwata to reignite the fixture.

Given the responsibility of a free-kick around 20 yards out, the Chelsea number nine blasted the set-piece into the bottom corner, leaving Whitworth with no chance of preventing the equaliser.

Just two minutes later, Chelsea found the back of the net again, this time through Eboue. Similar to their first goal of the game, Gordon played a clever pass to the edge of the area, where Eboue whipped a vicious shot to the near post, past Whitworth.

Forced to chase the game, Palace were quick to create chances after falling behind; perhaps their best chance fell just minutes after conceding. The substitute, Stuart Oduro, burst through the Chelsea midfield with a stirring run before laying the ball off to David Angibeaud.

His low effort was parried to Ajean-Ray Greaves, who, when faced with a vacant net, fired his effort over the bar.

After a remarkable save from Bernal stopped an Oduro header, the match came to an unfortunate, and somewhat anticlimactic, ending. Looking to recycle possession, Walker-Smith played a back-pass past Whitworth, but a miscommunication saw the ball trickle into the net.

There were plenty of positive signs for Javier Alonso throughout the match, but the Young Eagles’ second game of the season ended in defeat.

Palace: Whitworth (GK), Judd, Fasida, Danaher, Somade, Walker-Smith, Bernard-Ferguson (Greaves, 72), Okoli, Casey (Lamidi, 94), Martin (Oduro, 65), Frazer-Williams (Angibeaud, 72).

Subs not used: Mason (GK).

Chelsea: Bernal (GK), Richards, Waite, Subuloye, Diakite (McGlinchey, 45), Watson (Da Silva, 45), Barbour (Atherton, 78), Nicoll-Jazuli, Ezenwata, Eboue (Regragui, 78), Gordon.

Subs not used: Murray (GK).