Wasteful Chelsea U21s lose to Shrewsbury Town in EFL Trophy opener despite Mheuka’s goal | OneFootball

Chelsea U21 lost 3-1 to League One side Shrewsbury Town in their opening EFL Vertu Trophy fixture at Croud Meadow on Tuesday evening.Chelsea dominated in the early stages and were rewarded for their endeavours when Shim Mheuka opened the scoring inside 10 minutes, converting Kian Best’s low cross.Four minutes later, the hosts restored parity as Tommy McDermott’s shot deflected off a defender and looped into the top corner.Chelsea responded positively and was denied a chance to regain their lead by goalkeeper Elyh Harrison, who was quick to come off the line to prevent Richard Olise from scoring.Olise was denied again by Harrison when he received a cut-back from Kavuma-McQueen and fired a low shot, which was saved by the Manchester United loanee.Shrewsbury then had two consecutive chances, which fell to Captain John Marquis, with his first effort flying off the post and the other hitting the woodwork.Just before halftime, goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina produced a brilliant save to preserve the scoreline.Chelsea started the second half as the better side and came close to taking the lead through Kavuma-McQueen, whose attempt crashed off the crossbar.Mheuka thought he had put the Blues ahead when he tapped Kavuma-McQueen’s cross into the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.Shrewsbury went ahead on 65 minutes against the run of play, following an error from the defence, allowing Isaac England to pick up possession, and set up Marquis for the goal.Will Boyle sealed the victory for Michael Appleton’s side on 72 minutes, guiding Sam Clucas’s corner beyond the reach of Slonina.Chelsea’s next EFL Vertu Trophy fixture is against Northampton Town on September 23 at Sixfields Stadium. They are back in Premier League 2 action on Friday when they face Aston Villa.