Chelsea produced a dazzling performance at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, thrashing Ajax 5-1 to claim back-to-back Champions League victories and, in the process, becoming the first team in the competition’s history to have three teenage scorers in a single match.
Teenage trio light up Stamford Bridge
It was a night to remember for the Blues’ academy graduates. Marc Guiu, 19, opened the floodgates, briefly becoming Chelsea’s youngest-ever Champions League goalscorer after finishing clinically moments before Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor was sent off.
However, his record stood for only 33 minutes, as Estevao Willian, 18, converted the third of three first-half penalties to make it 4-1.
Enzo Fernandez and Wout Weghorst had earlier exchanged spot-kicks, while Moises Caicedo added a thunderous long-range strike amid a chaotic opening half.
The record-breaking moment was capped when substitute Tyrique George, introduced at half-time, struck just three minutes after coming on, making him the third teenager on the scoresheet.
Chelsea youth shine as Ajax collapse
Seventeen-year-old midfielder Reggie Walsh also made history, coming off the bench to become the youngest player ever to feature for Chelsea in the Champions League, and the second youngest Englishman in the competition’s history, behind Jack Wilshere.
For Ajax, the night was one to forget. The five-time European champions imploded after Taylor’s reckless red-card challenge, with defensive lapses and repeated fouls compounding their misery.
Despite Weghorst briefly reducing the deficit after a foul by Tosin Adarabioyo, Ajax’s sloppiness continued as Youri Baas conceded yet another penalty, which Estevao confidently dispatched in first-half stoppage time.
Maresca’s men in command
Such was Chelsea’s control that manager Enzo Maresca rotated heavily after the break, resting key players Caicedo, Fernandez, and Adarabioyo, and using all five substitutions by the 65th minute.
The result leaves Ajax bottom of the 36-team Champions League table with three defeats from three, extending their winless run in all competitions to four games.
Chelsea, meanwhile, continue their European resurgence, recording two straight Champions League wins after their opening defeat to Bayern Munich.
The Blues now turn their attention to their next fixture, a trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag.
