Chelsea’s Under-18s cruised into the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday as they thrashed Birmingham City 5-0.
Here are the three players who stood out as the Blues booked a tie with Sheffield Wednesday.
Birmingham’s intentions were clear from the off, as they packed 11 behind the ball and denied Chelsea space – until skipper Mount picked his way through with a jinking little run before blasting home. The other two goals in his hat-trick perhaps owed a little to poor goalkeeping, but he deserved what fortune he may have had for an incisive display.
In a crowded midfield, it took time for Chelsea’s creative players to have an effect. But once they had knocked on the door enough to leave it ajar, Maddox began to run the show. His movement was excellent and when the home side tired he became ever more influential, making good use of the ball and not being afraid to run into the space opening up ahead of him.
On another night, Ugbo might have scored. He went particularly close just after the hour mark when he acrobatically hooked a shot against the post after Dujon Sterling’s cross. But his all-round game impressed as he linked up nicely with those around him and gave the Birmingham defenders a hard time.
This post was last modified on 19/01/2017