Ajax 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea pulled off a great win in tonight’s Champions League Group H clash at the Johann Cruijff Arena after an inspired double substitution by head coach Frank Lampard.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, he brought on Michy Batshuayi and Christian Pulisic, and they combined to score the winner as Batshuayi found the net with five minutes remaining.
Erik ten Hag’s Ajax opened up their campaign with two near-perfect Champions League 2019 results, beating both Valencia and Lille 3-0. But after this defeat, they now share the lead with Chelsea.
After a tricky start to the season, the Blues have been finding their feet under Lampard and have now won six on the bounce, but this has to be the best so far.
Ajax have banked much of the £145m they received after the summer sales of Frankie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, nevertheless, they remain an exciting side and the Ajax vs Chelsea betting odds predicted a tough night for the Blues, but how they responded!
Highlights of the game
In a well-contested first half, Chelsea managed to match their hosts and had the first real chance of the game on six minutes. Centre-back Fikayo Tomori got up to meet a Willian corner unmarked but didn’t get a great connection when he should have hit the target.
Nicolas Tagliafico won a corner at the other end, and Donny Van de Beek’s first-time shot was well blocked by Kurt Zouma.
The Blues came close again on 16 minutes. Young starlet Mason Mount found space to work his way into the penalty area and went for the near post, but Ajax keeper Andre Onana was quickly down to save.
Quincy Promes thought he’d broken the deadlock on 35 minutes when he tapped in a deflected cross from Hakim Ziyech. The stadium erupted but then subsided as they awaited judgment from VAR. The decision found the former Sevilla man was centimetres offside and Chelsea breathed again.
The Blues had given as much as they received in the first 45 minutes and started well in the second half. Zouma thought he’d been pushed during a corner, but his appeals for a penalty were ignored by both the referee and VAR.
Ajax again came within inches of going ahead when Van de Beek swung over another corner, met by Edson Alvarez. But the Mexican’s header skimmed off the post and away to safety. Then, Daley Blind tested Kepa with a low drive but the Chelsea keeper saved well at his right-hand post.
With 20 minutes to go, Lampard rolled the dice, bringing on Batshuayi and Pulisic to replace Willian and Tammy Abraham. And Batshuayi was in the action immediately, stretching to meet a Mount cross but his effort was easily saved by Onana.
The striker had another chance minutes later which he should have buried. Pulisic had a shot which was deflected into his path, but with plenty of space and time Batshuayi hoofed his shot over from 10 yards.
As the Blues pushed for a winner, Pulisic saw a shot fly narrowly wide, but Chelsea broke through on 86 minutes, and it was the two substitutes who ripped through the Ajax defence. Pulisic raided down the left and hit a low hard cross which Batshuayi met, and smashed his shot in off the underside of the bar to send the 2,500 Blues fans wild.
Key statistics
This was the young Chelsea team’s biggest test so far and they acquitted themselves brilliantly. Their Dutch hosts didn’t have a single shot on target in the first half and lost the eventual shot count by 10 to 16, and two to four on target.
Chelsea ended Ajax’s eight-match home winning streak while stretching their away run to five wins on the bounce. The Blues are also unbeaten in nine away European ties and remain unbeaten in five clashes with Dutch sides.
It was skipper Cesar Azpilicueta’s 350th appearance in Chelsea colours, and what a proud man he will be tonight!
What’s next?
In the other SBOBET Champions League Group H fixture tonight, Valencia drew away to Lille, which means Chelsea and Ajax are tied at the top with six points and Valencia are two points behind.
Back in the UK, Chelsea have won four of their last five matches in the Premier League to move up into fourth place, and now they face a trip to Burnley as they try to keep their momentum. Turf Moor is never an easy place to go and Lampard’s young guns will be prepared for a tough examination.
Ajax are three points clear at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie and they have a home fixture against 10-place Feyenoord. The visitors have had one win in five and shouldn’t cause the league leaders too much trouble.
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