COMMENT: ...and they did it away from home. In a derby. A Cup quarterfinal. And with the pressure of senior teammates expecting them to deliver. These kids, with the support of their manager, did just that and in the process increased the spirit and unity now coursing through Chelsea FC.

The likes of Klopp and Rangnick will belittle it, but victory at Brentford on Wednesday night was one for the ages at Chelsea. Against a full-strength Bees line-up. With three teenage debutants. Called back from their Christmas break. Not to fill out the bench, but to actually start a Carabao Cup quarterfinal. And after just the one training session with their new, senior teammates no less. Despite all that, this team... this squad... they found a way to win.

At another club. With another manager. It would've been set up for failure. But Thomas Tuchel never invited such a prospect.

Yes, he highlighted the circumstances. But the German also embraced them. Going into the tie Tuchel made clear he wanted to be part of this. This unique Christmas schedule. He embraced it. He wanted to thrive in it. And even with his team short of numbers, he never thought of writing off the opportunity of reaching a Cup semifinal.

"When I worked in Germany or France," declared Tuchel, "and I switched on the TV and was so happy to see there was football going on at that kind of level. So I think it's very unique and I love to be in the middle of it, to be honest."

So in they came. Harvey Vale and Jude Soonsup-Bell would lead the line. Xavier Simons would take his natural place at fullback. The previous 48 hours they were all on Christmas leave. The U23s had wrapped up for the first-half of the season. They'd been in break mode - until Tuchel put in the call.

Xavier Simons closes down Shandon Baptiste on his Chelsea debut

By the end of the night Chelsea were into a Cup semifinal. Simons had contributed to a clean sheet. Soonsup-Bell had dragged Pontus Jansson around Brentford's defensive third. And Vale had confirmed his reputation as the club's next bright young thing. Indeed, as dynamic and nimble as he was, with a bit more direction, Vale could've finished the match on the scoresheet with a free header in the first-half.

But no matter. This was Chelsea's night. From the junior scouting staff. To the academy coaches. Right up to Andy Myers with the U23s. This was an occasion that lifts a club. That brings it together.

Patched-up. Backs to the wall. On a hiding to nothin'. As mentioned, with another manager, you'd write this tie off as soon as you caught wind of the team sheet. But Tuchel had a plan. He had a deep, experienced bench. And when the time came, with the kids having done their duty, he threw the senior players on. Two goals in the final ten minutes enough to affirm Tuchel's game management on the night.

But this goes beyond the result. Even beyond a Cup semifinal. This is about circumstances - and overcoming them. As a team, as a squad and as a club.

With today's crammed schedule, it's almost lost from the game. But from any individual match, there's a mountain of stories just waiting to be tapped. Focus long enough and 90 minutes can become an epic. And beyond what we've discussed here, you don't have to dig too deep to find more from Wednesday night's tie.

There's the way the senior players around Vale, Soonsup-Bell and Simons guided them through the game. The bond between the academy trio and those whom graduated before them. And significantly, the thought that went into which players would be best to manage them from the start. As Tuchel would later say, "Full credit to the seven guys with who they played, they took care (of them) and made sure they did the right stuff".

Beyond the pitch, we can talk about what Wednesday meant to all those staff inside Cobham. To see the result of their commitment and dedication. To know that what they're doing is appreciated by the first team manager. And to also be rewarded with such a showing from all three on such a big night.

Spirit. Unity. Certain actions within a football club produce such an atmosphere. Wednesday night was one for the ages. It wasn't a Champions League final. It wasn't even a score draw at Anfield. But by embracing the challenge. By trusting the work of those beyond his first team staff - and actually finding a way to win. Tuchel threw down a marker for this era of his at Stamford Bridge.

"It is very tiring, it makes you fatigued," said the German, again reflecting on the Christmas schedule. "It's not always the most pleasant thing, but at the same time it is because this is where you want to be. Here we have high-level games through the period when everybody else is used to having a break and the English tradition is to play football.

"Honestly I love it and I think it's very unique."

With such a manager and with such an attitude, of course these three young lads were going to deliver. Did Brentford ever really stand a chance?