Chelsea U23 finish the season with a win and second place in PL2

This weekend marks the end of the 2020-21 Premier League 2 season. Manchester City won the trophy a few weeks ago, and in quite the comprehensive fashion as well, but the spots below were up for grabs entering the last round of matches.

Chelsea’s season got mired in a COVID-19 outbreak at the academy in January, with a number of games postponed to later dates. When the young Blues did return in February, the rustiness was evident, with the team going winless in five games. We did get back on form towards the end of the season, winning four of the final five matches, and finishing the season in second place, 14 points behind the champions and 4 points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in third.

Chelsea’s final game of the season was against a strong Blackburn Rovers side, away from home, with second place on the line. And the youngsters would not disappoint, going on to win 4-2, thanks to a brace from Henry Lawrence, and a goal each from Bryan Fiabema and Harvey Vale. Vale also provided the first three assists, while his own goal was assisted by Lawrence. Truly a five-star performance from the dynamic duo.

All in all, this was a good season for the Development Squad, with Myles Peart-Harris and Thierno Ballo leading the team in goals with 7 each, and Tino Livramento and Marcel Lewis the assist-leaders at 6 each.

This season also marked the emergence of Levi Colwill at centre back, while Harvey Vale and Jude Soonsup-Bell made the jump from the U18s in the second half of the season. Summer signing Xavier Mbuyamba made his debut towards the end of the season, after long delays due to injuries and surgeries, and showed glimpses of just why Chelsea signed him in the first place. Joe Haigh also made his debut at this level, and will be a name to keep an eye on in the future.

The Dev Squad will be hoping for more success next season, and to dethrone Manchester City U23 from the top of the perch. With the mercurial Soonsup-Bell, as well as the likes of Vale, Haigh and Colwill all likely to stick around for another season, the possibilities are endless.