Chelsea thumped 10-man Ajax in the Champions League with a five-goal rout at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Marc Guiu and Moises Caicedo put Chelsea in a commanding lead in the first-half after Kenneth Taylor's red card reduced Ajax to 10 men. Wout Weghorst, Enzo Fernandez and Estevao Willian all converted first-half penalties for their respective sides.
Substitute Tyrique George added another for the Blues in the second half to boost the goal difference.
George's finish turned out to be the final goal of the match as Chelsea cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Dutch side.
Chelsea
Absolute Chelsea / Chelsea On SI
It was a quiet opening 15 minutes on an extremely wet evening at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's players have been on the receiving end of red cards in four of their last five matches in all competitions. This time, it was their opponents being reduced to ten men.
Following a VAR review, Kenneth Taylor was shown a straight red for a poorly timed challenge on Facundo Buonanotte and was correctly given his marching orders.
Facundo Buonanotte
Taylor receives red for his high challenge on Buonanotte. | IMAGO / Sportimage
Less than 90 seconds later, Chelsea punished Ajax and took the lead through Marc Guiu, who was given the nod to lead the line due to Joao Pedro's suspension.
A cross found its way to the back post, Wesley Fofana nodded it across the box and Guiu was there to tap home from close range to give the Blues an early lead.
In the 27th minute, Chelsea doubled their lead through Moises Caicedo, who bagged his fourth of the season in all competitions. His deflected strike from distance found its way into the back of the net to put the hosts in cruise control.
Six minutes later Ajax pulled a goal back to halve the deficit. Tosin Adarabioyo clumsily fouled Raúl Moro inside the box, and Wout Weghorst converted his penalty to bring the 10-man visitors back into the affair.
Marc Guiu
Guiu celebrating putting Chelsea ahead against Ajax. | IMAGO / ANP
Weghorst went from goalscorer from the penalty spot to giving away a penalty. He brought down Enzo Fernandez on the stroke of half-time and the Argentine made no mistake to restore the two-goal cushion.
Chelsea had time to add another before the interval. Estevao was brought down in the box and Fernandez, who scored the first spot kick, handed it to the Brazilian and he made no mistake of converting to score his first Champions League goal.
Maresca made a triple change at the interval, including bringing off Tosin who was on a yellow card. Goalscorers Fernandez and Guiu also made way, with Trevoh Chalobah, Andrey Santos and Tyrique George all being given minutes.
Within four minutes of entering the fray, George extended the lead with his first touch. The ball fell to the 19-year-old and his strike from just inside the penalty area found its way into the back of the net via a deflection.
Estevao Willian
Estevao celebrating his first goal in the Champions League, becoming Chelsea's youngest ever goalscorer in the competition. | IMAGO / Sportimage
Another change was instantly made as Caicedo was replaced by Josh Acheampong, as Maresca looked to protect his squad ahead of their Premier League clash against Sunderland with the European fixture all but decided.
It was a historic night for Chelsea in the capital. With Guiu (19), Estevao (18), and George (19) all finding the net, the Blues became the first side in Champions League history to see three different teenagers score for them in a single match
Reggie Walsh was also given the nod by Maresca to make his Champions League debut for the club, also becoming the club's youngest player to play for the club in the competition.
On a night where Chelsea made 10 changes, Maresca's rotation was rewarded with a ruthless performance to make it four wins in a row in all competitions, and doubling their Champions League points tally in the process.
They will have to wait until November for their next European matches - against Qarabag and Barcelona. For now, it's back to Premier League action as Sunderland visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.