The Premier League Cup final at Molineux saw Chelsea Under-17s defeat Wolves 3-1, securing the Academy’s first trophy of the season.
Rio Ngumoha’s incredible solo goal and Frankie Runham’s two goals in the second half helped the young Blues team win and take home the trophy.
Runham’s goal three minutes from time ensured the trophy was going to west London, but Wolves, playing at home, did mount a late push to send the match into extra time.
Under-18s head coach Hassan Sulaiman and Under-16s head coach James Houghton led Chelsea to a lead at halftime, after Ngumoha’s incredible solo effort had lit up a nervous first forty-five minutes.
Fraser Harper’s deflected shot found the net shortly after the half to tie the score for the home team. But Runham had us back on top in five minutes.
And in the 87th minute, the No. 7 sealed a historic victory with a deftly placed volley from a corner.
They won the Under-17 Premier League Cup for the first time since its current format was introduced thanks to the victory. Towards the end of the season, the Under-18s and Under-21s are still in the running for trophies, so some of the players at Molineux could still bring home more hardware.
Saheed Olagunju and Runham both missed good opportunities to score for the young Blues during a close first half. The game seemed to be going into halftime with no score, but 15-year-old winger Ngumoha suddenly broke the tie with a magical play.
Ngumoha received the ball deep in his own half, raced past three Wolves players to get close to the goal, and then hit a right-footed shot from well outside the area that ended up in the bottom corner.
After the interval, Wolves came out swinging and were level in a matter of minutes. Harper’s two attempts to score were deflected, leaving Chelsea custodian Kai Crampton with no opportunity.
However, the youthful Blues quickly took the lead again. After four minutes, Runham brilliantly took advantage of some careless play at the back following a Wolves goal-kick.
After a misplaced pass, the 17-year-old quickly gained possession, drove into the box, and finished deftly.
Shumaira Mheuka had the best opportunity to seal the victory earlier for Chelsea when he got past Wolves’ defence and was forced wide.
But Runham continued his good play in this competition, having scored in the quarterfinal and semifinal wins, when Landon Emenalo’s subsequent corner was headed out to the edge of the penalty area.
With no more drama, the four extra minutes of injury time were completed, giving the young Blues their first trophy of the year.