Strikes from Charlie Colkett and Alex Kiwomya put Chelsea into the driving seat as they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the FA Youth Cup 1st leg at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Chelsea take the slender lead to the Emirates Stadium next week in search of a positive result that will take them into the final of the FA Youth Cup.
The Blues came from behind after Arsenal's Akpom powered home a blistering left-footer 10 minutes into the second half.
But inspired by man of the match Charlie Colkett in midfield, Chelsea got themselves back into the game at Stamford Bridge within four minutes. Colkett smashing the ball home past Joshua Vickers.
A minute later and the turnaround was complete with right winger Alex Kiwomya hooking the Blues into the lead from close range.
All these players are under 18 and on occasions it showed, with tiredness and cramp a prominent feature of the game, especially late on.
The first attack of note came three minutes in, when Dominic Solanke managed to get his head into a long thrown-in by Ola Aina. Arsenal's goalkeeper Joshua Vickers wasn't troubled by the scuffed nod from eight yards out on towards goal.
Arsenal really should have taken the lead on 13 minutes when a snaking run by right winger Ainsly Maitland-Niles twisted the blood of Blues left back Fankaty Dabo, but the wideman fluffed his lines when faced with a shot in goal, he screwed his right-footer wide of Mitchell Beeney's right post.
Vickers was called twice within a space of five seconds on 24 minutes, firstly to thwart the impressive Charlie Colkett and then to dive low to his right to save a Alex Kiwomya right-footer.
His opposite number Beeny then produced a save from Chuba Akpom who drove a powerful drive onto goal, but Beeney's was able to parry it away to safety.
Isaiah Brown failed to conn to properly to a Colkett corner on 32 minutes. The left winger was unmarked in the Arsenal penalty area and with a bit more composure could have get his effort on target at least.
Good combination work between Solanke and Brown almost reaped dividends as the two of them sliced Arsenal's defence apart. brown's byline shot was saved by Vickers.
Arsenal's number nine Akpom had the in the back on the Chelsea net with four minutes of the half to go, but was adjudged, rightly, to have been offside.
Beeney's tipped over a backwards header by Alaxander Iwobi, as the Chelsea rearguard failed to deal with a clever free kick, wide on the left by Glen Kamara.
There were no changes at half time for either side.
Brown had the first chance after the start, a minute in, in fact, but his daisy-cutter from 25 yards out, was on target, powerful, but not enough to trouble Vickers.
A horror short kick out by Beeny straight to the feet of Daniel Crowley almost resulted in a goal for Arsenal on 52 minutes. Thankfully Chelsea centre back Andreas Christensen was alert enough on the edge of the penalty area to close down the striker and force him to try and pass which was then blocked.
Beeney' however had no chance three minutes later when Maitland-Niles split the Chelsea defence apart again, this time Christensen failed to intercept the through ball. The in-running Akpom, on the left then raced I to the penalty area a smacked a powerful left footer hit the roof of Beeney's net to put the visitors 1-0 up.
The goal was against the run of play and the home side deservedly equalised on 58 minutes.
The excellent Colkett rifling home within a powerful left-footer from just inside the Arsenal penalty area.
Jordan Houghton and Solanke then forced Arsenal back,
and Solanke in particular should have put the Blues ahead on 64 minutes, but he hacked at a pass from Houghton which only threatened the Arsenal side netting.
That just was the aperitif as a minute later the Blues took the lead. Vickers made a point-blank save from a powerful Solanke header, but Kiwomya was on hand at close range to hook the ball over his head into the net.
Arsenal youth team coach Carl Laraman brought in Jack Jebb for Gedion Zelaem on 67 minutes. This was quickly followed by his Chelsea counterpart Adi Veash replacing puffed-out Brown for Jay Dasilva.
Arsenal midfielder Kamara entered referee Tim Robinson's book, after one too many sneaky fouls.
Cramp got the better of Chelsea's Jake Clarke Salter with 15 minutes on the clock and he was taken off to be replaced by Isak Ssewankambo.
Loftus Cheek, likens to Michael Ballack in style and stature received a yellow card for a late challenge on Maitland-Niles, that was more to do with tiredness than cynicism.
Vickers kept his side in the game when he managed to get his feet to a Solanke left footer on 82 minutes and a minute later, brilliantly parried away a Dabo piledriver as the home side piled on the pressure to secure at least a two-goal lead to take to the second leg at the Emirates next Wednesday.
Chelsea's final substitution came with two minutes to go, Kasey Palmer on for Dabo.
Neither side had enough left in the tank to produce any further efforts on goal, but the Blues must be favourites to go through to the final, if only by the shortest of margins.
Teams:
Chelsea
Mitchell Beeny, Ola Aina, Andreas Christensen, Jake Clarke Salter, Fankaty Dabo, Jordan Houghton, Alex Kiwomya, Ruben Loftus Cheek (Capt) Dominic Solanke, Charlie Colkett, Isaiah Brown
Subs, Isaksson Ssewankambo, Bradley Collins, Kasey Palmer, Jay Dasilva, Charly Musonda
Arsenal: Joshua Vickers, Tafari Moore, Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, Glen Kamara, Leander Sie,ann, Julio Pleguexuelo, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Gedion Zelalem, Chuba Akpom, Daniel Crowley, Alexander Iwobi
Subs, Jack Jebb, Ryan Huddart, Stefan O'Conner, Austin Lipman, George Dobson
Referee, Tim Robinson