In a night of utter dominance, Chelsea produced a breathtaking display to dismantle Ajax 5-1 at Stamford Bridge, making it back-to-back wins in the UEFA Champions League for the Blues under Enzo Maresca.

It was an early red-cardred chaos: Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor was sent off after just 17 minutes following a reckless challenge on Facundo Buonanotte the original yellow upgraded to red after review.

Chelsea pounced immediately. Marc Guiu flicked home a header from Wesley Fofana’s nod to make it 1-0, then Moises Caicedo doubled the lead with a shot from distance that deceived the defence and the keeper.

Ajax clawed one back when Tosin Adarabioyo stepped on Raul Moro’s foot in the box, allowing Wout Weghorst to slot the penalty into the bottom-right corner.

But Chelsea restored control before half-time: Weghorst committed a foul on Enzo Fernández inside the box and the Blues’ captain calmly converted the spot kick.

Just before the break, yet another penalty: Estevão stepped up after being clipped by Youri Baas and scored from the spot. Chelsea had four.

Three minutes after the restart it was five: Tyrique George struck a deflected effort that wrong-footed the keeper to complete the emphatic night.

Perhaps most remarkable: Chelsea’s starting XI averaged just 22 years and 163 days old the second-youngest ever fielded by an English side in Champions League history. And Guiu (19), Estevão (18) and George (19) became the first trio of teenagers to score in the same Champions League match for the club.

In short: a youthful revival. A dominant performance. And a clear message from Maresca’s young brigade the Blues are back and hungry.