3 April 2008
VIDEO: Final first leg - Chelsea 1-1 Manchester City

Watch the highlights from a thrilling game at Chelsea where Gael Kakuta's towering header cancelled out Daniel Sturridge's opener.

Chelsea

1-1

Manchester City

Kakuta 66

 

Sturridge 50

The FA Youth Cup Sponsored by E.ON
Final, First Leg 
7pm, Thursday 3 April 2008
Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FC 

The FA Youth Cup remains nicely poised ahead of the second leg, following a close game between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Both teams will feel that they should be going into the second game on April 16 holding the advantage, following an open and entertaining game in west London.

There were chances at both ends and whilst Chelsea finished the game the stronger of the two teams, City will be aggrieved that they aren’t heading into the second leg with any sort of lead after taking edging ahead and then creating further chances to increase their advantage.

It wasn’t to be though and the decider at the City Of Manchester Stadium in just under two weeks should now be an intriguing and interesting encounter.

The visitors had the first clear chance of the game after six minutes, when Vladimir Weiss broke into the box from the right wing. He appeared to be felled and when the penalty shouts were waved away, he picked himself up and played a ball across to Daniel Sturridge. The striker made some room for himself, but fired a low left footer narrowly wide of the post.

Sturridge was proving to be a major thorn in Chelsea’s side and he ran clear again in the 18th minute following a neat turn and burst of pace, but his eventual shot was well saved by Rhys Taylor.

At the other end, aside from a Gael Kakuta shot which went high and wide in the opening minutes, the closest Chelsea came was from Miroslav Stoch’s free kick that curled just the wrong side of the post in the 20th minute.

Taylor was forced into another smart save moments later though, when he turned David Ball’s header around the post following a corner from the right.

Chelsea had the ball in the net after 24 minutes, although Morten Nielsen’s effort was ruled out as he was adjudged to have handled the ball prior to lifting a clever lob over Greg Hartley.

Hartley had to be alert in the 35th minute when a short corner was played into Sergio Tejera Rodriguez, whose shot looked destined for the top corner until the City keeper intervened with a fine save at full stretch.

Chelsea had another goal ruled out with half time on the horizon, this time for offside when Rodriguez poked home Nielsen’s pass having strayed in front of the last defender.

Five minutes after the re-start and City netted the opener, which they had threatened for most of the first half. Again it was Weiss who carved open the Chelsea defence, as his run and pass picked out Sturridge on the left hand side of the area and he made no mistake by firing clinically past Taylor to draw first blood.

Chelsea responded well though and Kakuta’s free-kick was narrowly wide of the target, before the French winger stung the hands of Hartley with a low shot from just inside the box in the 54th minute.

Rodriguez then had a decent opportunity when a smooth link-up between Michael Woods and Miroslav Stoch presented him with a run into the area, but the Spaniard over-ran the ball and the chance went begging.

City could have been two goals up just after the hour mark, when Ball did well to hold off the challenge of Patrick Van Aanholt before placing a shot at goal, which was well saved by Taylor.

They really should have added their second in the 64th minute though, when Weiss cut the ball back from the right for Scott Kay, but the midfielder shot over the bar when well placed in the area.

Chelsea made them pay for that too, as in the 66th minute Stoch floated a corner into the box which was met bravely by the head of Kakuta to bring the hosts level.

If anything, it was Chelsea who finished the stronger of the two teams with Kakuta firing over from an angle and then Jacob Mellis broke into the box only to see his centre deflected away and to safety.

Kakuta was certainly proving to be the catalyst for Chelsea and he came the closest to finding a second in the 90th minute when his jinking run ended with a low shot that went narrowly wide of the post.

It wasn't to be for either side though, who will now go head-to-head again in just under two weeks at the City Of Manchester Stadium. 

Chelsea: Rhys Taylor, Seth Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Jeffrey Van Homoet Bruma, Patrick Van Aanholt, Benjamin Gordon, Michael Woods, Miroslav Stoch, Jacob Mellis, Morten Nielsen (Adam Phillip, 62) Sergio Tejera Rodriguez, Gael Kakuta.

Subs not used: Niclas Heimann, Thomas Taiwo, Daniel Philliskirk, Frank Nouble.

Manchester City: Greg Hartley, Kieran Trippier, Ryan McGivern, Dedmane Boyota, Ben Mee, Scott Kay, Vladimir Weiss, Andrew Tutte, David Ball (Abdi Ibrahim, 86) Daniel Sturridge, David McDermott (Angelos Tsiakus, 71)

Subs not used: Alex Nimley, Filip Mentel, James Poole.

Attendance: 11983