Chelsea vs Ajax: Enzo Maresca’s young stars shine in 5-1 Champions League win over Ajax
Champions League nights at Stamford Bridge are back this season, and so far, have been delivering to the Chelsea faithful, with a 5-1 win over Ajax the latest triumph.
The success on the night of Wednesday, October 23, was Chelsea’s fourth win in four games - Benfica, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and now, Ajax.
Despite the unavailability or lack of match fitness of key players, Enzo Maresca still managed to pick up yet another important win.
He fielded a young squad, with the starting XI having an average age of 22 years and 163 days - the second youngest in the competition's history. Still, the youngsters proved themselves in front of the home crowd.
Early red card opens the floodgates
From the opening whistle, the tone was set. Within 17 minutes, Ajax were reduced to ten men when Kenneth Taylor’s high challenge earned him a red card.
Chelsea wasted no time. Almost immediately, Marc Guiu opened the scoring, showing composure and clever movement.
Moises Caicedo added a second with a long-range strike that took a fortunate deflection - the floodgates were open.
Despite Ajax pulling one back via a penalty from Wout Weghorst, the hosts responded emphatically.
Two further penalties before half-time - converted by Enzo Fernandez and 18-year-old Estevao Willian - pushed the score to 4-1.
Early in the second half, 19-year-old Tyrique George finished the job, making it 5-1 and putting the gloss on a memorable evening.
A performance to remember
What stands out most is how Maresca’s youth-laden side stepped up on a big stage. With several regulars unavailable, the young players seized their moment and delivered with maturity and conviction.
The statement is clear. The Blues, young as they are, are building momentum. And while Ajax’s misfortune played a part, credit must go to Chelsea for ruthlessly exploiting every opportunity.
This was more than just a comfortable win. It was a demonstration of depth, belief and ambition.
If this side can maintain this level of performance, Stamford Bridge is once again a place where Europe takes note.
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Other big UCL results from Matchday 3
Chelsea weren’t the only ones with emphatic wins in the Champions League this week. Matchday 3 of the UCL league phase saw multiple big results:
Barcelona vs Olympiacos 6-1
Kairat vs Pafos 0-0
Newcastle vs Benfica 3-0
PSV vs Napoli 6-2
Leverkusen vs PSG 2-7
Union Saint-Gilloise - Inter Milan 0-4
Copenhagen vs Dortmund 2-4
Villarreal vs Man City 0-2
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid 4-0
Athletic Club vs Qarabag 3-1
Galatasaray vs Bodo/Glimt 3-1
Real Madrid vs Juventus 1-0
Sporting vs Marseille 2-1
Monaco vs Tottenham 0-0
Atalanta vs Slavia Praha 0-0
Frankfurt vs Liverpool 1-5
Bayern Munich vs Club Brugge 4-0
