Holders Chelsea too strong for Anderlecht

• Holders Chelsea are through to the UEFA Youth League final after a strong display
• Having teed up the opener for Kasey Palmer, Tammy Abraham rounds things off
  
• Captain Charlie Colkett on target in the semi-finals for the second successive year 
• Half-time substitute Mason Mount lays on the second and third goals
• Chelsea extend their unbeaten UEFA Youth League run to 14 matches

Winners in 2015, Chelsea secured their place in another UEFA Youth League final by comfortably defeating Anderlecht, who also lost at this stage 12 months ago.

Anderlecht received an early warning when Kasey Palmer headed against the woodwork. The Belgian side nonetheless fell behind midway through the first half, Kasey Palmer combining with Tammy Abraham and sweeping the return ball in via the base of the far post. Captain Charlie Colkett capped a tidy display with the second, before Abraham got the goal his performance deserved, slotting past Mile Svilar unopposed after being sent clear by Mason Mount. 

Kasey Palmer slides in the first goal of the afternoon©Sportsfile

Key Player: Tammy Abraham
Chelsea's No9 is an imposing presence. The lone striker led the line with aplomb, heading against the upright early on before setting up Palmer with a clever cut-back. He kept the Anderlecht centre-backs occupied throughout and now has eight goals in as many UEFA Youth League appearances this term.

Vancamp subdued
In contrast, Anderlecht's leading marksman in the competition this season, Jorn Vancamp, barely had a sniff. Having started the match in a slightly deeper role behind forward Emil Abaz, Vancamp was pushed up after the break without success. That was largely down to Chelsea's dominant centre-backs.

Different year, same story
Both sides were appearing in their second consecutive semi-final yet for Anderlecht the result was the same: defeat. They fielded four players who started their loss to Shakhtar Donetsk here in 2015 – goalkeeper Svilar, Samy Bourard, Gilles Denayer and captain Nathan De Medina – but neither they nor their team-mates made much headway against a confident and composed Chelsea XI.

Reaction
Adi Viveash, Chelsea coach
It was a professional performance. We scored goals at vital times and managed the game very well.

Nicolás Frutos, Anderlecht coach
They were the better team, so the scoreline is a fair reflection of the match. I'm really proud of the team and the club for getting here for the second successive season and we'll work hard to return next year. It'll be a good final whoever Chelsea play, but I'd like Real Madrid win because they have an Argentinian coach [Santiago Solari].