Chelsea produced a dazzling performance at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, cruising to a 5–1 victory over Ajax after the Dutch side were reduced to ten men early in the first half.
Manager Enzo Maresca’s bold decision to rotate his squad, making ten changes from the weekend’s Premier League win at Nottingham Forest paid off handsomely.
Marc Guiu and Moises Caicedo struck early before Enzo Fernández and Brazilian teenager Estevão converted from the penalty spot, putting the Blues in firm control before half-time. Substitute Tyrique George completed the rout with a composed finish in the second half.
Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor’s dismissal on 15 minutes proved decisive. Initially shown a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Facundo Buonanotte, VAR upgraded the offence to red, leaving the visitors facing an uphill battle.
From the resulting free-kick, Guiu pounced on Wesley Fofana’s header to open the scoring. Caicedo soon doubled Chelsea’s lead with a deflected strike off Josip Sutalo.
Ajax briefly threatened a comeback when Wout Weghorst converted a penalty after Tosin Adarabioyo’s foul on Raul Moro.
But their hopes were quickly dashed as Fernández restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion from the spot following a foul by Weghorst, before Estevão confidently dispatched another penalty to make it 4–1 before the break.
The 18-year-old Brazilian’s goal marked his first in the Champions League, further highlighting the potential that has earned him growing attention in Europe.
Maresca, who had faced questions about his side’s discipline after four red cards in their previous six matches, will have been pleased with his team’s control and composure. His decision to rest key players also looks vindicated ahead of a busy fixture schedule.
Chelsea’s dominance continued into the second half, and George added a fifth goal just minutes after coming off the bench, finishing neatly from Andrey Santos’s clever backheel.
The result makes it back-to-back Champions League wins for the Blues following their opening defeat to Bayern Munich. Chelsea now sit 11th in the group standings, while Ajax remain bottom, still without a point or a goal in this season’s campaign.
It was a night that underlined Chelsea’s growing confidence under Maresca and offered a glimpse of the club’s exciting young talent coming into its own on Europe’s biggest stage.
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