Chilwell Applauds Development Squad Character

- Goals from Admiral Muskwe and Joe Dodoo secured Steve Beaglehole’s outfit their third consecutive Barclays U21 Premier League victory 

- Chilwell went on to discuss his experiences with the first team this campaign

Young Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell credited the Development Squad’s character after they registered a third straight Barclays U21 Premier League win against Southampton on Monday. 

Steve Beaglehole’s outfit scored twice in eight first half minutes to continue their fine form, having beaten Manchester City and Sunderland 1-0 in their last two outings. 

Admiral Muskwe and Joe Dodoo were on target for City at King Power Stadium, while Jake Hesketh fired in after the break to get the Saints back into the game. 

But the Foxes stood firm after conceding, and Chilwell highlighted his side’s solidarity as they moved above Southampton in the league table. 

“We started well – we went 2-0 up which was a great start to the game,” Chilwell told Foxes Player HD. “We came in at half-time and said that we didn’t want to concede in the second half to keep the clean sheet. 

“It would have been nice to score a few more goals. If we scored first after half-time, I think we could have gone on to score four or five, but we showed good character after they scored to grind out the result. 

“A key part of our game is to get the ball wide. We had Joe [Dodoo] and Ade (Admiral Muskwe) on the wings and they’re both good on the ball. They’re both good athletes who can run at the defence and cause problems. That showed as they scored a goal each. 

“Me and Matty [Miles] like to get forward too to create an overload with two-on-one situations against their full backs.” 

Chilwell made his first team debut for the Club against Hull City in October, before playing twice in the FA Cup against a talented Tottenham Hotspur outfit in January. 

Discussing his time with the first team, the left back added: “It’s a step up in intensity and tempo because you’re playing against some really good players. You have to concentrate more throughout the whole game. 

“Tottenham are a really good team – just look where they are in the league table – and they have some really good young players. I found playing against Tottenham a really good test – I really enjoyed it.”