Chelsea Cobham Next Gen came from behind to claim a dramatic stoppage-time victory over Stoke City in Premier League 2, with an own goal forced by a Reggie Watson earning all three points.
The Blues had the better chances in the opening exchanges, including a Chizaram Ezenwata shot that was cleared off the line, but fell behind in the 24th minute when Tristan Achu found the net.
We responded quickly, though, as Justin Osagie fired home from distance and the sides were level at the interval.
The search was on for a winner in the second period. With 94 minutes on the clock, the Blues found it. Watson stepped up and whipped a free-kick over the wall and against the post. Fortunately, the rebound stuck goalkeeper Lucas Knight and ended in the Stoke net to spark wild celebrations.
Responding to a setback
Stoke struck first in the game through Achu, who drove inside from the right wing and placed the ball into the bottom left corner. We had enjoyed the better chances at that point, but found ourselves on the back foot.
The Blues’ best chance before Stoke’s opener had come from Ezenwata, who had his shot cleared off the line after excellent work from Mathis Eboue. The winger breezed beyond a defender and cut the ball across the face of goal for Ezenwata, who was unfortunately denied.
We didn’t have to wait long for an equaliser once behind, though, as Osagie scored from distance five minutes after we conceded.
The equaliser capped an impressive first-half display from Osagie, who dominated in the heart of the Chelsea defence and dealt confidently with Stoke’s long balls, winning the majority of his aerial duels.
Searching for a second
We pushed to go ahead following the restart, but were unable to gain a real foothold in the game. Stoke had rarely tested Freddy Bernal in the Chelsea goal, but when called upon, the Blues stopper did what was needed to deny the home side.
Harrison Bettoni created a good opportunity for the Blues when he picked up possession in an advanced area and lofted the ball over to Eboue on the left wing. He opted to come inside on this occasion and curled his shot goalwards. Although his effort troubled Knight, it didn’t beat the Stoke goalkeeper.
Late breakthrough
The Blues enjoyed the majority of possession in the latter stages and sent plenty of crosses into the box. And following the substitution of Kendry Paez for Eboue, Sol Gordon was moved to the left wing and caused all kinds of trouble for the opposition full-back.
In the dying minutes, he created two great opportunities to nick the winner. The first saw Gordon slide a pass inside to Yisa Alao, who rattled the crossbar with his first-time strike. The second came seconds later, but Ezenwata’s header went just wide.
Osagie was in search of his second and lined up a strike from 20 yards out. However, he was taken down, earning the Blues a free-kick in a dangerous area.
Watson stepped up and wrapped the strike towards the left corner. His effort hit the post, bounced off the back of Knight’s head, and ended in the Stoke net to give Chelsea a late winner and ensure we claimed another PL2 victory.
What it means
This win lifts us to the top of Premier League 2 on 12 points, and we have now won our last four games on the spin in the league.
What comes next?
Cobham Next Gen are back at Kingsmeadow on Saturday 24 October as we face Liverpool in the Premier League 2. Kick-off is at 2pm and supporters can watch the full match with a CFC+ subscription.
The teams
Chelsea (3-4-3): Freddy Bernal; Alfie Osborne (Yisa Alao 69’), Justin Osagie, Tayo Subuloye (C); Reggie Watson, Harrison McMahon, Harrison Bettoni, Leo Black; Sol Gordon, Chizaram Ezenwata, Mathis Eboue (Kendry Paez 59’)
Unused subs: Toby Bell, Dante Waite, Isaac Badu, Ibrahim Rabbaj, Heze Grimwade
Scorers: Osagie 29’, Lucas Knight (OG) 90+4’
Booked: Alao 88’, Watson 90+4’, Bettoni 90+6’
Manager: Harry Hudson
Stoke City (4-3-3): Lucas Knight; Anas Dauda, Rocco Bardsley, Raphael Otegbayo, Freddie Anderson; Jaden Mears (C), George Morrison, Finley Nixon; Tristan Achu, Adriel Walker, Elliot Fearn (Paul Makavore 67’, Thomas Midwood 76’)
Unused subs: Tyler Martin, Oscar Hatton, Joshua McWilliams, Zachary Frost, Louie Bradbury
Scorers: Achu 24’
Booked: Adriel Walker 90+2’
Manager: Warren Joyce
