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The knowledge that this was an evening in the company of an Ajax team not fit to lace the boots of the giants who represented the Dutch side in years gone by did not dull Chelsea’s delight in seeing further vindication of their faith in youth.
History was made more than once by the youngest team in the Champions League. There was Marc Guiu becoming Chelsea’s youngest scorer in the competition, only for the forward aged 19 years and 291 days to end up in third place by full-time. His record lasted all of 33 minutes, ending when the 18-year-old Brazilian winger Estêvão Willian scored just before half-time, and Guiu tumbled further down the list when Tyrique George – 19 years and 260 days – rounded off a 5-1 win for Enzo Maresca’s side early in the second half.
While John Heitinga’s awful Ajax faced up to the ignominy of conceding four times in the first half of a European tie for the first time since 1958, Chelsea became the first team in the competition’s history to have three teenagers score in one game.
There was no chance of anyone falling into the trap of mistaking this for one of the great Ajax sides. The Dutch giants have made a dreadful start to their domestic campaign and they knew they were on their way to another dispiriting evening in this competition when they were reduced to 10 men after Kenneth Taylor was punished for an inexplicable rush of blood to the head in the 15th minute.
The irony is that all the talk before the game was about Chelsea’s indiscipline. They were without João Pedro, suspended after a late red card against Benfica last month, and were under instructions from Maresca to stop making life unnecessarily difficult for themselves.
In the event, though, it was Ajax who pressed the self-destruct button when Taylor left Facundo Buonanotte in a heap after leaving his studs on the Argentinian’s ankle while the game was still in the balance. What was the midfielder thinking? It was an ugly challenge – high, late, dangerous – and Felix Zwayer, the German referee, quickly upgraded his initial yellow card after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
A sense of resignation fell over the 10 men. Sensing weakness, Chelsea scored from the resulting free-kick. Buonanotte received possession on the right, cut back on to his left foot and delivered a bouncing cross for Wesley Fofana to put an unchallenged ball into the six-yard box, where the unmarked Guiu was waiting to convert from close range.
Ajax were farcical. The away end turned on Heitinga, who is already under severe pressure in his first managerial role, when he replaced Oscar Gloukh with Jorthy Mokio. It was a defensive move, but Ajax remained shambolic.
Chelsea, who named the second youngest lineup by an English side in Champions League history, did not have to work hard for their goals. It was too easy when Moisés Caicedo advanced from right-back and made it 2-0 with a deflected shot from 25 yards.
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A rout beckoned. Ajax knew better than to dream of a turnaround after Wout Weghorst pulled a goal back, converting from the spot after Tosin Adarabioyo brought Raúl Moro down with a silly foul. Weghorst, after all, was soon making matters worse at the other end. It was hard not to laugh when the former Manchester United and Burnley striker gave a penalty away with a ludicrous challenge on Enzo Fernández, who stepped up to make it 3-1.
Ajax were risible and reckless. Josip Sutalo was next to err, conceding another penalty in first-half stoppage time. This time Fernández handed duties to Estêvão. The Brazilian teenager duly walloped his kick past Ajax’s 41-year-old goalkeeper, Remko Pasveer, who will probably not look back fondly at the night when he became the third oldest player to appear at this level.
Chelsea had not scored four in the opening period of a Champions League game since beating Genk in 2011. Maresca’s youngsters were looking to topple records. George, one of three half-time substitutions, soon made it 5-1 with a firm drive from 20 yards.
Maresca eased off. He removed Caicedo and Fernández. Reggie Walsh, who turned 17 on Monday, came on to become Chelsea’s youngest player in the Champions League. It is a sign of the times.
