Chelsea Youngsters Replicate Senior Dominance in FA Youth Cup Final Win

Chelsea will take a commanding lead into the second leg of the FA Youth Cup final after a 3-1 victory over Manchester City.

A brace from Tammy Abraham and a late Dominic Solanke strike put the Blues in control, doing to the City youth team what Chelsea have at the senior level—killing their hopes of glory.

It was an interesting tie at City's Etihad Academy Stadium.

We hear plenty about how clubs these days endeavour to operate their youth teams much in the same way as the first team.

For instance, the preferred formation at senior level is deployed throughout a club, right down to the junior ranks. The idea being that those players have the club philosophy ingrained in them from an early age and are ready to slot in when the time comes.

Well, if their FA Youth Cup campaign is anything to go by, it's working at Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are embarking on a spell of dominance in the English game. They've already won the Capital One Cup this season and are just two wins away from sealing the Premier League title.

They're English football's standout team. It seems the same could be said of the Chelsea under-18s.

Mourinho's sides are known for the way they control games through physical means. They get about opponents, they press them, they force mistakes and capitalise.

As recently as Saturday, we saw that plan in motion in the 1-0 victory over Manchester United.

They enjoyed more possession, but Joe Edward's youngsters did the same against City on Monday evening. It was a fact best expressed with Solanke's 87th-minute goal that killed off the game, and potentially the tie with it.

Pouncing on a defensive mistake, Ruben Sammut released Charlie Musonda to find Solanke, who made no mistake from close range.

For City, it was a horrible goal to concede; for Chelsea, it summed up their entire performance.

Indeed, midfielder Sammut was one of the stars of this game.

Playing in the Nemanja Matic role, the 17-year-old demonstrated his ability to read the game and impose himself, working hard and efficiently enough to allow Charlie Colkett to dictate the pace and flow.

Sammut's performance was exactly what Mourinho demands from those in the first team, and ultimately, it served as the difference between City and Chelsea.

Chelsea looked confident, assured. They were professional.

It's a factor Sammut recently discussed in an interview with Chelsea magazine.

"We were winning in a small-sided game against [the senior players], but they got two goals back and then killed the game with their possession," he explained, remembering a training session with the likes of John Terry and Co. during the international break.

"It showed us that it's all about the game management at that level. We have got the ability to replicate what they do, but we need to use our understanding of game management and develop that a little bit more."

City had their chances against Chelsea, but they didn't take them. When Chelsea carved out their own openings, they punished the home side.

Chelsea were ruthless, but above all else, they demonstrated a seniority beyond their years—they had the know-how.

It was the Mourinho philosophy being executed by the kids.

When Isaac Buckley-Ricketts cancelled out Abraham's opener just two minutes later, the tie was all set to follow last season's final when Chelsea eventually beat Fulham 7-6 on aggregate.

That was a goalfest, much in the same way as Chelsea's semi-final victory over Tottenham Hotspur this term.

The difference this time was how Chelsea managed the game from that moment. Buckley-Ricketts' strike was a warning—it was one they heeded.

The game was barely 10 minutes in, yet the process to close it out started right there. Abraham put them back in front on 20 minutes, and Chelsea took complete control.

City looked lost and didn't have an answer for Chelsea's superiority. The Blues were measured, impressive.

Under-18s boss Joe Edwards spoke at the final whistle of his delight at how his team performed. There's still the second leg next Monday to negotiate, but Edwards explained how proud he was of the players and all they achieved.

Mourinho would have been, too.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @garryhayes.