Ruthless Chelsea dismantle ten-man Ajax in a 'penalty chaos'

Have you ever witnessed a game with three penalty kicks in the span of 12 minutes? Well, in tonight's clash between Chelsea and Ajax, that happened.

Between the 33rd and the fifth minute of added time, the ref Felix Zwayer pointed to the spot three times! Enzo Fernandez and Estevao converted the two pens for Chelsea, and Wout Weghorst was impeccable for Ajax.

Still, unfortunately for the Dutch side, prior to this "penalty chaos," the Blues had already had a 2-0 lead thanks to Marc Guiu and Moises Caicedo's goals. On top of everything, the visitors' captain, Kenneth Taylor, was sent off at 0-0.

After Tyrique George scored just three minutes after the break, everyone thought the Blues' demolition would continue, but they opted to ease off afterwards, and the final score remained "only" 5-1.

The rivals presented the crowd with a relatively peaceful opening quarter of an hour, and then the excitement began. Between the 17th and 18th minutes, Ajax experienced a nightmare 78 seconds in which they received a red card and conceded a goal.

First, their captain, Kenneth Taylor, was sent off for a reckless tackle on Facundo Buonanotte. Chelsea were awarded a free-kick, after which they scored over Marc Guiu, who became the club's youngest-ever scorer in the Champions League. The Dutchman's dismissal gave the Blues complete control of the match.

Nine minutes after the deadlock-breaker, Moises Caicedo doubled the home team's lead. The Ecuadorian shot from a distance, the ball deflected off Ajax's defender Josip Sutalo, and tricked the keeper Remko Pasveer, ending up behind his back.

Yet, that wasn't the end of the excitement in the first half, as the ref Felix Zwayer pointed to the spot three times until the break!

In the 33rd minute, Tosin Adarabioyo recklessly fouled Raul Moro in the box, giving the ten-man Ajax rescue breathing, which Wout Weghorst accepted, sending the penalty kick home.

Nevertheless, in the last minute of the half, the ex-Man United striker conceded a pen, irresponsibly tackling Enzo Fernandez, who eventually converted the spot-kick. Four minutes later, deep in added time, Youri Baas made the same mistake as Weghorst, only this time Estevao went down in the box and put his name on the scoresheet, netting the fourth goal for Chelsea.

Emergency call: Palmer out at least until December

After the break, Enzo Maresca's crew's scoring spree continued, as the sub Tyrique George - who had replaced Guiu during the pause - made it 5-1, again with a slight help of Ajax's defender Lucas Rosa, of whom the ball ricocheted into the net.

However, after the fifth goal, the home team eased off a bit, as Maresca subbed in youngsters Andrey Santos, Josh Acheampong, and Reggie Walsh. Estevao seemed the most motivated among the Blues, as he was their most active player. Had the Brazilian been a bit luckier, he would have bagged a hat-trick, but still the result did not change anymore.

The triumph against Ajax was Chelsea's second win in the UCL campaign, while the Amsterdammers remained at the bottom of the table without a single point alongside Jose Mourinho's Benfica.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday

Barcelona - Olympiacos 6-1 (2-0)

/Fermin Lopez 7, 39, 76, Yamal 68 pen, Rashford 74, 79 - El Kaabi 54 pen/

Kairat - Pafos 0-0

Arsenal - Atletico Madrid 4-0 (0-0)

/Gabriel 57, Martinelli 64, Gyokeres 67, 70/

Copenhagen - Dortmund 2-4 (1-1)

/Anton 34 og, Dadason 90+1 - Nmecha 20, 77, Bensebaini 61 pen, Silva 87/

Leverkusen - PSG 2-7 (1-4)

/Garcia 38 pen, 54 - Pacho 7, Doue 41, 45+3, Kvaratskhelia 44, Mendes 50, Dembele 66, Vitinha 90/

Newcastle - Benfica 3-0 (1-0)

/Gordon 32, Barnes 71, 83/

PSV - Napoli 6-2 (2-1)

/Buongiorno 35 og, Saibari 39, Man 54, 80, Pepi 87, Driouech 89 - McTominay 31, 86/

St. Gilloise - Inter 0-4 (0-2)

/Dumfries 41, Lautaro 45+1, Calhanoglu 53 pen, Esposito 76/

Villarreal - Manchester City 0-2 (0-2)

/Haaland 17, Silva 40/

Wednesday

Athletic Bilbao - Qarabag 3-1 (1-1)

/Guruzeta 40, Navaro 70, 88 - Andrade 1/

Galatasaray - Bodo/Glimt 3-1 (2-0)

/Osimhen 3, 33, Akgun 60 - Helmersen 75/

Atalanta - Slavia Praha 0-0

Bayern Munich - Club Brugge 4-0 (3-0)

/Karl 5, Kane 14, Diaz 34, Jackson 79/

Chelsea - Ajax 5-1 (4-1)

/Guiu 18, Caicedo 27, Enzo 45 pen, Estevao 45+5 pen, George 48 - Weghorst 33 pen/

Eintracht Frankfurt - Liverpool 1-5 (1-3)

/Kristensen 26 - Ekitike 35, Van Dijk 39, Konate 44, Gakpo 66, Szoboszlai 70/

Monaco - Tottenham 0-0

Real Madrid - Juventus 1-0 (0-0)

/Bellingham 58/

Sporting Lisbon - Olympique Marseille 2-1 (0-1)

/Catamo 69, Santos 86 - Paixao 14/