FA Youth Cup
AFC Wimbledon 1-4 Chelsea
Chelsea U18s survived a scare at AFC Wimbledon to remain on course for their third FA Youth Cup triumph in as many years.
The reigning champions were 4-1 winners at Kingsmeadow in front of watching Blues assistant first-team coach Steve Holland.
A 4-1 winning margin suggests a comfortable passage into the quarter-finals for the holders but it was nothing of the sort in Kingston.
Fikayo Tomori’s opener came inside the opening 15 minutes as it appeared Chelsea would cruise to victory in the same fashion they did against Manchester United in the previous round.
But while they eventually got the goals to get the job done, Alfie Egan, the star of this AFC Wimbledon team, got the Dons back on level terms at the interval.
It was nothing more than the battling home side deserved as they headed in at the break on a high.
The introduction of Jacob Maddox proved the turning point for Chelsea as he came off the bench to strike twice and swing the game back in favour of the champions.
Mukhtar Ali curled home a fourth to add gloss to the result and set up a date with Reading in the next stage at Stamford Bridge.
AFC Wimbledon: Wingate; Mensah, Sibbick, Kalambayi, Omperon; Stripp (Antwi 74mins), McKillop; Bellikli (Wood 65), Egan (Williams-Bowers 65), Olusanya; Ano.
Subs (not used): Zabotti, Batchelor.
Chelsea: Baxter; Chalobah, Tomori, Clarke-Salter, Dasilva; Scott (Sammut 79), Ali; Mount (Maddox 56); Wakefield, Abraham, Ugbo (Sterling 65).
Subs (not used): Thompson, Christie-Davies.
