Chelsea produced a dazzling display of attacking football at Stamford Bridge, humiliating a 10-man Ajax side 5–1 to record their second consecutive win in the UEFA Champions League.
The match made history as the Blues became the first team ever in the competition to have three teenage scorers, Marc Guiu, Estêvão Willian, and Tyrique George, all finding the net in a dominant performance that left Ajax in disarray.
The evening began disastrously for Ajax when captain Kenneth Taylor was sent off in the 17th minute for a reckless challenge.
Chelsea immediately capitalized, with Marc Guiu, 19, scoring a minute later to open the floodgates and briefly become the club’s youngest Champions League goalscorer.
Moises Caicedo then doubled the lead with a superb long-range strike before Enzo Fernández converted from the spot after being fouled by Wout Weghorst, who had earlier reduced the deficit with a penalty of his own.
Chelsea’s dominance continued in a chaotic first half that featured three penalties. Just before halftime, Ajax’s Youri Baas stepped on Estêvão Willian, conceding another spot-kick.
The 18-year-old Brazilian calmly converted to make it 4–1 and, in doing so, broke Guiu’s short-lived record to become the club’s youngest Champions League scorer.
After the break, manager Enzo Maresca introduced fresh legs, including teenage forward Tyrique George, who wasted no time making an impact.
Three minutes after coming on, the 18-year-old fired in Chelsea’s fifth goal from the edge of the box, sealing a historic night for the Blues’ youth contingent.
Later in the match, Reggie Walsh, 17, was brought on to become the youngest player ever to appear for Chelsea in the Champions League and the second-youngest Englishman in competition history after Jack Wilshere.
Ajax, four-time European champions, struggled to recover from Taylor’s red card and never looked capable of mounting a comeback. The Dutch side have now lost all three of their Champions League matches this season and sit bottom of the 36-team league stage table.
The Blues now turn their attention to their next Champions League fixture, an away trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag, where they will hope to maintain their momentum in the Group Stage competition.
