LIVE BLOG

90+5min: FULL TIME. Amazing game.

90+4min: Batshuayi drags a shot wide, and that’s probably it.

90+1min: 4 minutes added on, which is an absolute joke.

90min: Onana makes a tremendous save down low to his left after Batshuayi spins and hits it well. Looked like he had won the game there, Michy.

89min: Hudson-Odoi goes close from 25 yards, just missing the far post.

88min: Great chance for Abraham, but he heads straight into Onana’s arms.

87min: Batshuayi on for Kovacic as Chelsea look for a winner.

86min: Ajax nearly score after Tadic goes on a mazy run. Kepa saves well from Alvarez.

83min: Onana saves another Willian cross. Then Abraham heads wide from a Hudson-Odoi cross.

79min: No, wait. VAR says handball. Still 4-4. It looked like the shot from Jorginho actually hit Abraham’s arm, which was down by his side and had nothing to do with anything.

78min: GOALLLLLLLLL AZPILICUETAAAA! Chelsea come again and after Jorginho’s shot is blocked, Azpi’s there to slam it into the back of the net! 5-4!!!!

77min: Ajax win a free kick 25 yards out, which Promes hits well and Kepa has to tip over. Promes then takes the corner, which Willian hacks clear.

75min: Willian with the cross from the byline, but Onana catches at his near post.

74min: GOALLLLL JAMESSSS!!! Chelsea win a corner; Willian takes and Zouma heads against the bar, but James is there to finish on the rebound. 4-4!!!!!!!!

71min: Jorginho no mistake from the spot. 4-3! GAME ON!

70min: RED CARD again! Veltman gets a second yellow as well, either for the handball or for complaining. And Chelsea have a PENALTY!

68min: RED CARD! Blind gets his marching orders for a second yellow, after hacking down Abraham. Hudson-Odoi plays on in the advantage and takes a shot, which hits a defender. Handball shouts against Veltman, which appears to be correct on replay.

66min: Chelsea work the ball well again, finding Jorginho in space at the top of the box. He takes a shot, which looks to be heading off target, but Abraham again gets something on it. This time it does go wide of the far post.

64min: GOAL!!! AZPILICUETA! Chelsea still not giving up, as Jorginho plays one across and Abraham gets something on it. It looks to be creeping in at the far post, but Azpilicueta slides in to make sure. He looks offside, but VAR gives it anyway! 4-2!

61min: Ziyech proves that he’s human and gets a set piece all wrong as Chelsea easily clear a corner.

60min: Hudson-Odoi on for Mount, who looks in a fair amount of pain and distress.

58min: Willian pinches the ball high up, but gets his pass wrong. Meanwhile, Mount has hurt his right ankle in an accidental collision, and he won’t be able to continue.

57min: Abraham and Onana collide and Abraham stays down briefly, but looks okay to continue.

55min: GOAL! Sucker punch. Chelsea pour forward with numbers, but get the pass wrong in the penalty area and Ajax can counter. Chelsea do not recover well and Van de Beek is all alone in the penalty area to drill into the back of the net. 4-1, Ajax.

53min: Jorginho and Kovacic combine through the center before the latter finds Abraham with a great through ball. Abraham looks offside but no flag (again) and gets his shot away under pressure. Onana makes a tremendous save. James has a chance to shoot from a second ball off the corner, but Ajax block well.

52min: Chelsea keeping up the intense pressure as Abraham and Pulisic look to combine. Abraham does get a head to a cross eventually, but it’s an easy enough catch for Onana on his line.

50min: Willian goes on a little run, but the Ajax right back stick to his task excellently and wins a throw. But Chelsea win the ball back from the throw and Pulisic knifes through the defense, but no one’s there to tap in his cutback. James collects the ball on the far side, but his cross/shot is blocked. Ajax defend Willian’s corner well.

47min: Kurt Zouma goes on a massive run, from his own penalty area to the other, beating several along the way, but his shot is off target. Would’ve been one of the most amazing goals ever!

46min: Chelsea restart proceedings. Reece James has replaced Marcos Alonso, with Azpilicueta moving to the left flank.

---

HALF-TIME: One of the weirder games you’ll ever see. It’s Ajax 3, Chelsea 1. Chelsea have scored three of those goals. Ajax have had 1 shot on target. There’s little reason to think we won’t have even more goals in the second half.

45+1min: Azpilicueta gets a yellow for obstruction, and Ajax have another free kick in the same position from where they first scored. Promes swings it in, Abraham heads it clear, and the referee blows the whistle before the corner could be taken. Half time.

44min: Pulisic slides past a couple and is almost in on goal, but an unlucky bounce gives Blind an opportunity to shoulder the ball clear.

43min: Chelsea pour forward again as the game remains wide open. Alonso and Abraham try crosses before Alonso hits one low from 18 yards. Onana’s down to block and not give up a rebound.

41min: Tomori gets a yellow for a clean tackle from behind on Neres. Meanwhile, Ajax pass it around a spank a shot from the top of the area well over the bar. Tomori seems to have hurt himself in the process as well.

40min: Pulisic now tries the same from the left, but his low cross is cut at the near post and cleared for a throw.

38min: Chelsea look for a response as Willian whips a low cross in from the right. Onana sticks out a leg to prevent anyone else from turning it in for a goal.

35min: GOAL! Another own goal!? Ziyech falls to the ground under pressure from Alonso and Tomori by the corner and the assistant awards a free kick. Ziyech olimpicos it in perfectly, over Kepa’s outstretched fingers. It hits the inside of the post, rebounds back into the face of a falling Kepa, and ends up in the back of the net! That’s equal parts ridiculous and unlucky. 3-1, Ajax.

33min: Blind next into the book for taking out Kovacic on his latest run through the center.

31min: Veltman into the book for shoving Willian off the pitch and into the advertising hoardings. Pulisic swings it in deep from the left touchline, but it’s an easy catch for the Ajax goalkeeper.

29min: A promising Chelsea attack breaks down as Willian’s first-time ball hits the referee. Chelsea try to build again, but Pulisic’s tackled cleanly this time.

27min: Willian and Pulisic try to counter from the corner, but Ajax recover well enough.

26min: Alonso’s called for a foul after Neres hurdles him and lands awkwardly. Another great delivery from Ziyech; Abraham gets his head to it and just misses scoring another own goal. Ajax play the corner short, but Chelsea defend it well.

24min: Ajax playing it around with confidence, Chelsea chasing shadows at the moment.

20min: GOAL! Promes. Ajax score a carbon copy of the goal that was ruled out in Amsterdam. Ziyech crosses in, Promes finishes with his head. This time, no VAR to save Chelsea. 2-1, Ajax.

17min: Ziyech tries his luck from 30 yards. Well wide.

16min: Jorginho gives away a foul in the same place as Azpilicueta in the 2nd minute. This time it’s an outswinger, and this time Abraham gets his clearance right.

15min: Tadic gets on the end of a long ball and tries a spectacular effort that flies over the net.

14min: Kovacic goes on yet another great run, playing a perfect through ball for Abraham, who looks offside but there’s no flag, and he finishes with aplomb. And then the flag goes up. Right call, but why wait so long?

11min: Kovacic almost dribbles through the entire team up the center, but Mazraoui pinches it off his toe at the last second. Chelsea now maintaining possession well.

10min: Ajax passing it around well, but Chelsea shifting and pressing accordingly.

7min: Kovacic with a driving run into the area, but can’t quite get around for a cross and Ajax have a goal kick. Chelsea recover the ball in midfield and look to build.

6min: Ajax’s turn to attack, but Alonso cuts out the through ball. Chelsea defend the corner well as Ajax try to set up a shot from the top of the box.

4min: PENALTY! Chelsea immediately on the attack, and Pulisic is wiped out in the area as he shapes to shoot. VAR agrees with the referee, and Jorginho makes no mistake from the spot. 1-1, Jorginho!!! What a start!

2min: GOAL! Ajax. Azpi gives away a foul on the right touchline, even with the top of the penalty area. Promes swings it in near post, Tammy’s there to clear it, but he whiffs badly and deflects into the back of his own net! Disaster. 1-0, Ajax.

1min: An early Ajax attack peters out as a through ball’s shepherded out for a goal kick.

KICK-OFF: Chelsea in all blue, with the white socks. Ajax in their classic red and white combination. It is Ajax who get us started.

---

It’s match number four of six in the Champions League group stages, and Chelsea, currently first, have a great chance to take firm control of Group H with a win tonight against Ajax, who are second, level on points but behind on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Chelsea lost at home on Matchday 1 to Valencia, despite controlling possession and creating most of the chances. Chelsea U19 drew today with Ajax despite creating a ton of chances as well. Let’s not repeat those mistakes.

Here we go!

---

Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Arrizabalaga | Alonso, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta (c) | Kovacic, Jorginho | Pulisic, Mount, Willian | Abraham

Substitutes from: Caballero, Christensen, Kante, Hudson-Odoi, Batshuayi, James, Gilmour

Ajax Amsterdam starting lineup (4-3-3):
Onana | Tagliafico, Blind, Veltman, Mazraoui | Martinez, Ziyech, Van de Beek | Promes, Tadic, Neres

Substitutes from: Bruno Varela, Schuurs, Alvarez, Huntelaar, S. De Jong, Marin, Dest

---

Date / Time: Tuesday, November 5, 2019, 20:00 GMT; 3pm EST; 1:30am IST (next day)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi

On TV: BT Sport 2 (UK); TNT (USA); SONY TEN 1 (India); SuperSport 5 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: BT Sport Live (UK); WatchTNT, B/R Live, TUDNxtra (USA); SONY LIV (India); DStv Now (NGA)

---

Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!