Chelsea recorded a 5-1 victory over Ajax at Stamford Bridge, marking their second win in three UEFA Champions League matches this season. Goals from Marc Guiu, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Estêvão, and Tyrique George got the job done for the Blues. Former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst scored the lone goal for Ajax.
Ahead of the game, Ajax head coach John Heitinga made a dismissive comment about Chelsea’s financial power, saying,
“I have never seen a bag of money score goals.”
However, Ajax were on the receiving end of a heavy defeat, conceding five goals while managing only one response.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca chose not to engage with Heitinga’s remarks after the match. Instead, he praised young midfielder Estêvão, highlighting the player’s character and potential:
“The odd thing about Estêvão is with young players you worry they have one good game and think they’re top. Estêvão is polite, he’s humble, he wants to learn. His family does a big job there. We’re happy not only with how he performs but he’s a nice boy, a good boy.
I think in the Premier League he needs a little more time. It’s very similar to Cole Palmer. I had him at the same age with City’s Under-23s. Cole played wide and now he’s inside. Estêvão plays wide now, but in the future, I think he’s more of an inside player.
I feel very lucky to be his manager because it’s exciting, you can enjoy it. We said many times, I think the fans, in the end, they pay to see players like Cole Palmer, like Estêvão, this kind of player. So it’s nice that we can have players like Estêvão, like Cole, like them.”
Chelsea will now focus on their Premier League campaign as they prepare to welcome Sunderland to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.