Sometimes, we can forget quite how young this Chelsea side under Enzo Maresca truly is, then an evening such as this occurs in which it is so record-breakingly blatant that it becomes impossible to ignore.
For the first time in Champions League history, three teenagers scored for a side in a single game. That was Marc Guiu, Estevao Willian and Tyrique George. To make matters even more ludicrous, Chelsea’s youngest scorer in this competition’s history was Reece James, who was 19 years and 332 days of age when he scored in a 4-4 draw with Ajax in November 2019.
Guiu, Estevao and George are all even younger than James was that night. Each could have had the record for himself therefore had only one of them scored. As all three did, Estevao sneaked it at the age of 18 years and 181 days, with Guiu and George both 19 and change.
We can only wonder how Ajax’s greying goalkeeper Remko Pasveer was feeling in the Stamford Bridge tunnel beforehand, two weeks from turning 42 years old. If a little like a schoolteacher leading the students outside for playtime, you would not have blamed him.
Pasveer was older than the ages of Estevao and Romeo Lavia added together, of Jorrel Hato and Jamie Gittens, of Facundo Buonanotte and Guiu. A glance at Chelsea’s substitutes and he would have seen Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, the academy talent who was born in January 2009, by which time Pasveer was already on to his third professional club in the Netherlands.
We mention this not to make Pasveer feel ancient. Rather it is a further indication of the age of this side. At 22 years and 163 days, Maresca’s line-up was the youngest named in the Champions League this season, and the second youngest in the competition’s entire history.
Tyrique George was the third of three talented young goalscorers for Chelsea against Ajax
Marc Guiu had held a Chelsea Champions League record with his opening goal – but it only lasted for 33 minutes
And yet, in the face of so many meltdowns from the Dutch visitors, Chelsea’s kids showed their maturity as well as their class.
Enzo Fernandez earns the armband
There have been a fair few who have questioned Enzo Fernandez, both as a player and a person.
But when Chelsea won their second penalty of the evening, he figured he had already scored one of his own. He handed the ball to Estevao so the 18-year-old Brazilian could finish what he had started, having won the spot-kick in the first place. It is moments such as this which justify Maresca handing him the armband when Reece James is not on the pitch.
Pressure grows on the away dugout
A Dutch journalist in the Stamford Bridge press box was kind enough to translate what the travelling Ajax supporters were singing towards their head coach John Heitinga after 23 minutes. ‘Basically,’ he told us, ‘they are telling him to ‘eff off.’
It was immediately after Heitinga had sacrificed an impressive attacker in Oscar Gloukh to bring on a defensive player in Jorthy Mokio after the red card for Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor. Chelsea’s fans may not have known exactly what their counterparts were saying but they sensed enough hostility to start singing at Heitinga themselves: ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning.’
Heitinga left Liverpool’s coaching staff in the summer to take over at Ajax, but he was already under severe pressure, even before this collapse.
It was only at the weekend that Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Nottingham Forest immediately after losing to Chelsea. Maresca may begin resembling football’s Grim Reaper if Heitinga meets the same fate after this loss.
Blues faithful welcome back Weghorst
Chelsea fans came up with a song for Wout Weghorst here, the Ajax striker formerly of Manchester United. ‘Just a s*** Andy Carroll,’ they sang at him after he had endured a 10-minute meltdown before the half-time interval.
It started with him grabbing a hold of Lavia’s hair and giving a kicking to Moises Caicedo. Then he was hurt by Tosin Adarabioyo in a challenge which left his head streaming with blood. Followed by a terribly-timed striker’s challenge from behind on Fernandez to gift Chelsea a penalty and a 3-1 lead which left them in a comfortable position.
Wout Weghorst was greeted with a hail of insults by the Stamford Bridge faithful as he sought to cause chaos on the pitch
The Cobham production line still in full swing
For the first time in 54 matches, Chelsea did not name a single academy graduate in their starting line-up. The last time that happened was December 4, 2024, in a 5-1 win away at Southampton.
But Reggie Walsh, who only turned 17 last week, came on as a substitute with the Chelsea supporters singing his name for a good while.
They love their own here and hope the Cobham conveyor belt can continue to produce, even if the Blues have scouts positioned worldwide looking for the next teenage talent they can bring in.
