Match Review: Boro U21s 1 Chelsea U21s 3

Boro Under-21s fell to a late rally from visiting Chelsea on Friday afternoon at Rockliffe Park. 

Sonny Finch’s first-half goal put Mark Tinkler’s side into the lead, but three goals from the Blues in the last six minutes of play turned the contest on its head. 

After trading early blows, Finch - making his first start of the year after returning from injury - was all set to put Boro in front after Pharrell Willis beat Chelsea keeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe to a ball over the top and laid it square with the goal gaping. The Boro striker, though, was felled on the edge of the box before he could get a shot away. AJ Bridge was on target with the resulting free-kick, but Sharman-Lowe gathered it at the second attempt. 

For the away side, Dujuan Richards was the chief first-half threat, and he rattled a shot into the side netting. 

Finch did grab the game’s opener on 34 minutes, teammate Law McCabe springing a counter attack and carrying the ball a long distance before feeding the forward to slam home. 

And Finch came close to doubling his tally three times in the early stages of the second half, stinging the palms of Sharman-Lowe from a similar position on the edge of the Blues’ box, while he also twice glanced wide from inviting crosses from Boro’s wing-backs on either flank, Oliver Samuels and George Gitau.

Chelsea then took a grip of the game in the final half-hour, with Ronnie Stutter bending a low effort narrowly wide, and Michael Golding seeing an effort graze the crossbar on its way over. 

There was a nervy moment for Boro when Leo Castledine went in behind, but onrushing Boro keeper Shea Connor got enough on the ball to persuade the referee against awarding a spot kick.

With just over five minutes to play, though, the Blues did claim an equaliser as Deived de Souza headed home from close range. 

Within three minutes, Chelsea had turned the game on its head as Castledine’s shot found the bottom corner. By now in full flow, the Londoners added an 89th-minute third as Stutter swept in to seal the three points.