Chelsea Under-21s came from behind to record a deserved 2-1 victory over Manchester United Under-21s in the Premier League final at Old Trafford last night.
Tom Lawrence had given the Red Devils the early advantage before goals from Charly Musonda and Lewis Baker helped the Blues achieve a domestic double after winning the FA Youth Cup against Fulham last week.
While there was a lot at stake for both sides last night, the encounter represented an opportunity for each club's emerging talent to showcase their ability on a bigger stage, with many of the 22 players staking a claim for first-time involvement in the near future.
Below, Sports Mole picks out three players from both Manchester United and Chelsea and assesses their chances of making a breakthrough into the senior ranks on a permanent basis.
Manchester United:
Tom Lawrence
Lawrence and James Wilson were thrown into the limelight earlier this month when they were both handed starts in Manchester United's Premier League encounter with Hull City.
On that occasion, it was Wilson who stole the headlines with two goals during a 64-minute debut, but Lawrence, a 20-year-old attacker, also showed glimpses of his talent before he made way for Ryan Giggs to say his goodbyes to Old Trafford.
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When the two sides were named for last night's fixture, much of the focus was on the performance of the former Yeovil Town loanee, and he didn't disappoint during a display that suggested that he could have a role to play at the club under United's next manager, likely to be Louis van Gaal.
Lawrence showed a frequent willingness to have the ball throughout the match, but it was his composure in the final third that would have impressed many of the 13,000 supporters in attendance.
His goal came as a result of neat link-up play between Saidy Janko and Wilson, but his sharpness when receiving the ball created the space for him to curl it past Jamal Blackman and into the far corner from 14 yards.
Saidy Janko
David Moyes has received a lot of flak for spending £27m on Marouane Fellaini, but in a few years' time, United supporters could be praising the Scot for bringing Saidy Janko to the club.
The 17-year-old was purchased from FC Zurich for £700,000 during the final hours of last summer's transfer window, and although he is yet to feature in United's first team, he showed enough on Wednesday night to suggest that he has a future at Old Trafford.
The standout feature of Janko's game is his strength, which at youth level gives him a distinct advantage over his opponents, but the right-sided player's pace and creativity also proved a constant problem for Chelsea on the night.
Janko is very much in the same mould as Antonio Valencia, and if he can continue to develop over the next 12 months, United could have a ready-made replacement for the Ecuadorian.
Tyler Blackett
Tyler Blackett was only introduced for the final 10 minutes on Wednesday night, but even though his time on the pitch was minimal, he could be one to watch.
The 20-year-old has spent a large part of the season on loan at Blackpool and Birmingham City respectively, and although he failed to score in 13 appearances, it's easy to see why clubs in the Championship have opted to sign the England Under-19 international, who played in a more advanced role rather than his usual left-back position.
His arrival last night immediately saw long balls begin to come his way, while his raw pace had Chelsea on the defensive, with their backline dropping deeper to counter the threat offered by Blackett.
His technical attributes were proven when he produced an outrageous volley from 35 yards in the final seconds of the game, and while he will be required to develop several parts of his game to succeed at United, he has the potential to become part of the first-team squad.
Chelsea:
Lewis Baker
Lewis Baker has long been regarded as one of the brightest young talents at Stamford Bridge, and he was given his first taste of first-team football at the start of 2014 when he featured against Derby County in the FA Cup.
A second senior appearance is yet to materialise, but the 19-year-old has been a leading light for Chelsea's Under-21 side this year and it seems only a matter of time before he becomes a member of Jose Mourinho's squad on a regular basis.
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Baker didn't enjoy one of his better games against United on Wednesday night, but he displayed enough confidence in his own ability to suggest that he would have little problem in adapting to competing alongside the stars that currently play their football at Stamford Bridge.
The England Under-19 international blazed an excellent opening over the crossbar during the early stages of the second half at Old Trafford, but he responded with the winning goal - a 20-yard strike that found the far corner - and his celebrations at the end of the match showed that he is driven to become a success with a club that he has been with since 2005.
Andreas Christensen
With John Terry nearing the end of his career and David Luiz reportedly off to Barcelona, Chelsea could soon find themselves having to pay a lot of money for replacements or promoting players from within their own ranks to fill much bigger shoes.
Tomas Kalas has already shown in his two Premier League appearances that he can become a first-team regular at Stamford Bridge, and his defensive teammate Andreas Christensen suggested that he can follow the Czech into the senior squad.
The Dane has only just turned 18 but on Wednesday night, he displayed a maturity beyond his years, and the former Brondby player has the potential to establish himself as a key player at Chelsea if he is brought through the system in the correct way.
It has been reported that he could return to his homeland, but Christensen's ability on the ball, strength and understanding of the game is impeccable and if Chelsea remain patient with him and Kalas, they have a fine partnership on their hands.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Ruben Loftus-Cheek attracted plenty of attention last summer when it was reported that the youngster was already earning a seven-figure deal at Stamford Bridge, despite never making his debut for the first team.
The midfielder, now 18 years of age, went a small way to justifying his alleged wage with a couple of impressive showings on Chelsea's pre-season tour of America last year, but he is still waiting to make a competitive appearance for the Blues.
However, despite the difficulty in breaking into the central-midfield positions at Chelsea, he showed on Wednesday night that he could eventually find himself playing alongside the club's stars if he continues to perform with such class.
There are elements of Loftus-Cheek's game that are still raw, but if he can hone his craft with a couple of loan spells in the Football League, he could have a significant part to play in West London by the start of the 2016-17 season.
