STURRIDGE STARS AS CITY GAIN ADVANTAGE IN FA YOUTH CUP FINAL
Manchester City's Daniel Sturridge underlined his precociousness by scoring the opening goal of the FA Youth Cup Final first leg at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after French U-17 international Gael Kakuta levelled with a half hour remaining from a corner, but Sturridge’s team enter the second leg at Eastlands with a slight advantage.
In a tournament which can list George Best, Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham, Joe Cole and Michael Owen among its victors, there were plenty of stars-of-the-future on show.
A crowd of 11,980 watched as striker Sturridge, who has scored twice in three appearances for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s first team, netted his seventh goal of the competition five minutes after the interval to open the scoring.
Slovakian midfielder Vladimir Weiss drove forward from deep, chicaned a number of challenges before sliding a ball through to Sturridge in the left hand side of the Blues' area. The 18-year-old hit the ball first time with his left foot across 'keeper Rhys Taylor and into the right hand corner of the goal.
City, who reached the final two years ago only to be beaten by Liverpool, last won this tournament in 1986. Their opponents had not reached the final in 47 years but under the gaze of first teamers Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, the young Blues mustered a number of second half chances and eventually levelled.
Kakuta showed he was more than just a trickster, and he rose superbly from Miroslav Stoch's corner to nod in. His goal leaves the tie nicely balanced going into the second leg at Eastlands on April 16.
Chelsea:
Taylor; Ofori-Twumasi, Bruma, Van Aanholt, Gordon; Stoch, Mellis, Woods, Kakuta; Tejera, Nielsen
Substitutes: Phillip, Heimann, Taiwo and Nouble
Manchester City:
Hartley; Trippier, Boyota, Mee, McGivern; Weiss, Tutte, Kay, McDermott; Ball, Sturridge
Substitutes: Nimley, Mentel, Ibrahim, Tsiakus, Poole
Manchester City's Daniel Sturridge underlined his precociousness by scoring the opening goal of the FA Youth Cup Final first leg at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after French U-17 international Gael Kakuta levelled with a half hour remaining from a corner, but Sturridge’s team enter the second leg at Eastlands with a slight advantage.
In a tournament which can list George Best, Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham, Joe Cole and Michael Owen among its victors, there were plenty of stars-of-the-future on show.
A crowd of 11,980 watched as striker Sturridge, who has scored twice in three appearances for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s first team, netted his seventh goal of the competition five minutes after the interval to open the scoring.
Slovakian midfielder Vladimir Weiss drove forward from deep, chicaned a number of challenges before sliding a ball through to Sturridge in the left hand side of the Blues' area. The 18-year-old hit the ball first time with his left foot across 'keeper Rhys Taylor and into the right hand corner of the goal.
City, who reached the final two years ago only to be beaten by Liverpool, last won this tournament in 1986. Their opponents had not reached the final in 47 years but under the gaze of first teamers Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, the young Blues mustered a number of second half chances and eventually levelled.
Kakuta showed he was more than just a trickster, and he rose superbly from Miroslav Stoch's corner to nod in. His goal leaves the tie nicely balanced going into the second leg at Eastlands on April 16.
Chelsea:
Taylor; Ofori-Twumasi, Bruma, Van Aanholt, Gordon; Stoch, Mellis, Woods, Kakuta; Tejera, Nielsen
Substitutes: Phillip, Heimann, Taiwo and Nouble
Manchester City:
Hartley; Trippier, Boyota, Mee, McGivern; Weiss, Tutte, Kay, McDermott; Ball, Sturridge
Substitutes: Nimley, Mentel, Ibrahim, Tsiakus, Poole
Labels: Chelsea, Daniel Sturridge, FA Youth Cup, football, Manchester City
