Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea
Tammy Abraham scored twice as commanding Chelsea put one hand on the FA Youth Cup trophy after cruising to victory over Manchester City.
The Blues youngsters were last week crowned champions of Europe after beating Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Youth League.
And they look certain to add another trophy to the cabinet following Monday’s return leg with City at Stamford Bridge.
England U18s star Abraham led the way with a superb double as Chelsea showed exactly why they are the holders and have appeared in five of the last six finals in the competition.
It took the striker only seven minutes to break the deadlock when he brought down skipper Charlie Colkett’s pass and blasted home a terrific opener from a tight angle.
But the lead last just a matter of seconds as Brandon Barker’s defence-splitting pass found Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and the City man did the rest for the equaliser.
Abraham’s 36th of the season restored the away side’s advantage before half time and Dominic Solanke kept up his record of scoring in every round of the competition to net late on.
It leaves Chelsea firmly in the driving seat to reclaim their crown but they will have to be wary of a City fightback, having come from behind themselves to beat Tottenham at the semi-final stage.
Chelsea: Collins, Aina, Tomori, Clarke-Salter, Dasilva, Sammut, Abraham (Palmer 67), Colkett, Solanke, Musonda (Scott 89), Brown (Boga 90).
Subs (not Used): Grant, Thompson.
