Chelsea ruthlessly capitalised on an early red card for Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor to seal a dominant 5–1 Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Manager Enzo Maresca made 10 changes to his starting XI, but his gamble paid off in style. Marc Guiu and Moisés Caicedo struck early before Enzo Fernández and teenage sensation Estevão converted from the penalty spot to give Chelsea a commanding 4–1 lead at half-time. Tyrique George added a fifth after the break to complete the rout.
Ajax’s night unravelled just 15 minutes in when VAR upgraded Taylor’s yellow card to a red for a reckless challenge on Facundo Buonanotte. Chelsea immediately took advantage, with Guiu turning in Wesley Fofana’s header from the resulting free-kick.
Caicedo, who had just three Chelsea goals prior to this season, made it four for the campaign with a deflected strike off Josip Šutalo. Ajax briefly fought back when Tosin Adarabioyo fouled Raúl Moro, allowing Wout Weghorst to score from the spot.
But Chelsea quickly restored control. Weghorst tripped Fernández in the area, and the Argentine calmly converted. Minutes later, 18-year-old Estevão won and scored a second penalty, firing high past goalkeeper Remko Pasveer for his first Champions League goal.
Maresca rotated again after half-time, withdrawing key players including Fernández and Caicedo. Substitute Tyrique George needed just three minutes to make an impact, finishing low after a clever backheel assist from Andrey Santos.
The result marks Chelsea’s second consecutive Champions League win following their opening defeat to Bayern Munich and lifts them to 11th in the standings. Ajax remain bottom, still without a point or a goal in the competition.
