César Azpilicueta gave Chelsea hope by flicking the leg at the far post and touching in 2-4 with half an hour remaining. The Great Calabash occurred a few minutes later. Chelsea propelled the ball and Daley Blind emerged as a chainsaw on the midfield and dropped two Ajax players but the referee let the game continue and Joel Veltman covered a shot with his hand in his own penalty area.
When the referee calculated the situation, he showed Blind and Veltman for a second yellow card and gave Chelsea a penalty.
Reece James made 4-4 with the quarter remaining and Chelsea also had a ball inside for 5-4 but it was sent off by hand after VAR. Despite nine people on the pitch, Ajax created a couple of high-scoring chances to decide the match at the end.
Jorginho set the penalty for a 3-4 reduction for Chelsea and a crazy hunt for a receipt.
- Everything happened, it was completely crazy out there and in the end I think both teams are happy with the result. Chelsea got points after 1-4 and Ajax scored with nine men, says Viasat's expert Glenn Strömberg.
In Group H, it is equally tough: The three top teams Ajax, Chelsea and Valencia all have seven points after four rounds of six.