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.
Football news: International break analysis - How Chelsea stars are performing for their countries
The international break is always a burden to the average football fan; the pent up excitement of the new season built throughout the summer, interrupted within what feels like a second.
But fear not Chelsea fans - there is a silver lining in all of this.
Nine players were called up to represent their country for these World Cup qualifiers and it is safe to say that they did SW6 proud.
From the rainy streets of West London to the unfathomable heights in Bolivia, Sports News Blitz writer Sarim Ahmed is here to document how the Chelsea boys are doing in the international break.
Estevao steps up in Chelsea’s dominating 5-1 win over West Ham
Chelsea produced a dominant display at the London Stadium on Friday night, beating West Ham 5-1 to give them their first win of the Premier League season.
The evening began with a setback for the visitors when Cole Palmer pulled out during the warm-up, but his replacement, 18-year-old Estevao Willian, stepped up in style.
Chelsea find promise in Josh Acheampong and Estevao after opening draw to Crystal Palace
Chelsea may have started their Premier League season with a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace, but there were silver linings thanks to the performances of two young players.
With Levi Colwill sidelined by an ACL injury and Tosin Adarabioyo ruled out late in training, Maresca had to trust his defence to step up.
Chelsea stumble to 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace in underwhelming Premier League opener
Chelsea’s Premier League season started with a flat 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
For a team coming off a Club World Cup win and with so much expectation, this was far from the statement fans were hoping for.
Estevao and Joao Pedro shine as Chelsea wrap up pre-season in style with emphatic wins over Leverkusen and AC Milan
Following a 4-1 victory over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have ended their pre-season on a high, as the 2025/26 Premier League season looms.
With a summer packed with Club World Cup football, Chelsea have played only two friendlies to prepare for the campaign ahead.