OneFootball
Alex Mott·5 November 2019
OneFootball
Alex Mott·5 November 2019
Chelsea overturned a three-goal deficit to draw 4-4 with Ajax on a crazy evening at Stamford Bridge.
The Dutch side raced into a 4-1 in the second half, but a double sending off for Daley Blind and Joel Veltman gave Frank Lampard’s the momentum, who scored three unanswered goals late on.
Here’s what we learned.
Ajax’s Champions League heroics last season saw two of their biggest names – Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt – leave for pastures new over the summer.
Do not be surprised if the same thing happens again come May, with Hakim Ziyech the object of many a clubs’ desire.
The Moroccan playmaker was sensational at Stamford Bridge, providing a glorious assist for Quincy Promes’ first half goal and scoring from a free kick himself on 35 minutes.
Generally though, his all round play was exceptional, tormenting the Chelsea defence with his constant pressing and always looking to have more time on the ball than anyone else.
Barcelona. Real Madrid. Any of the Premier League’s top six. Ziyech will have his pick.
Kevin Keegan would certainly approve of this Chelsea side.
Keggy’s ‘Entertainers’ at Newcastle were the epitome of you-score-four-we’ll-score-five, and it seems that Frank Lampard has been going back through his old VHS tapes to get some inspiration.
There’s certainly nothing boring about this Blues side at the moment who played out a thoroughly entertaining – bordering on the surreal – encounter with Ajax here.
They really do look like two different teams at the moment – one capable of carving open the very best going forward, and then one that could be carved open by a pub team at the back.
Donny van de Beek’s goal in the second half was the perfect crystallisation of their defensive malaise. Probably Ajax’s best player and one of the very best midfielders in Europe, given yards and yards of space inside the area to pick his corner and finish.
As a neutral though, it’s utterly glorious.
We just have one piece of advice for you for the rest of the season – always watch Chelsea.
Simply put, this was one of the very best games of football we’ve watched in a very long time.
We’ve no doubt that it would have irked the purists and annoyed the tactics perverts, but for pure, unadulterated fun this was utterly sensational
Two young, exciting teams, playing full-throttle, no-holds-barred football which was perfectly encapsulated by Ajax, late on, down to nine men, chasing a winner.
It was breathless, it was bonkers and it was brilliant.
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