Chelsea produced a commanding performance at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, demolishing Dutch giants Ajax 5–1 in their UEFA Champions League League Phase Round 3 encounter.
It was a night of ruthless finishing and high-tempo football from Enzo Maresca’s men, who dominated possession and punished every Ajax mistake.
The game took a dramatic turn early on when Ajax midfielder Kenneth Taylor was sent off following a VAR review for a reckless tackle, leaving the visitors to play with 10 men from the 17th minute.
Chelsea immediately capitalised on their numerical advantage. Marc Guiu opened the scoring in the 18th minute, poking home from close range after a well-placed header across goal by Wesley Fofana.
The hosts doubled their lead eight minutes later through Moises Caicedo, whose deflected strike left Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer stranded.
Ajax briefly clawed their way back into the game when Wout Weghorst converted a penalty in the 33rd minute to make it 2-1, but that was as good as it got for the Dutch side.
Chelsea hit back with two quickfire penalties before half-time. Enzo Fernández restored the two-goal cushion with a calm finish in the 45th minute, before Estêvão converted another spot kick deep into first-half stoppage time to make it 4-1 at the break.
In the second half, Chelsea continued to dominate with slick passing and relentless pressure. Substitute Tyrique George added a fifth goal in the 48th minute, firing a deflected strike past the helpless Pasveer.
Young Brazilian winger Estêvão was the standout performer, dazzling with his flair and creativity, though he also picked up a yellow card for a late challenge in the second half.
Despite several substitutions from Ajax coach Johnny Heitinga, including the introductions of Davy Klaassen, Anton Gaaei, and Kian Fitz-Jim, the visitors struggled to contain Chelsea’s fluid attack.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made effective use of his bench, introducing Andrey Santos, Josh Acheampong, and Tyrique George, all of whom injected energy and pace into the team’s play.
By full-time, Chelsea had registered 65% possession and over seven shots on target, underscoring their dominance.
