AFC Ajax 0-1 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Champions League 2019-20
A late strike from Michy Batshuayi handed Chelsea all the three points as they pipped AFC Ajax on their own turf to record their sixth win in a row in all competitions.
In what transpired as a nail-biting, open contest between two stellar sides, the Blues held on away from home and controlled the pace of play better in the second half; much to the frustration of the home supporters.
Against a pacy Ajax side, they did well to hold on, soak the pressure and eventually, score a late winner in the 86th minute to take home all three points.
With this, Chelsea also extended their spotless unbeaten run in Europe, which dates all the way back to March 2018 - when they lost 3-0 to Barcelona.
On that note, we look at the major talking points from Chelsea's brilliant away victory at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
#1 Both sides opted for different approaches but neither opened the scoring
Ahead of the fixture, we knew well enough that two fearless, free-spirited sides would go toe-to-toe in a potential enthralling encounter. Well, the first half was extremely tense, but neither outfit threatened directly.
Ajax held the narrow upper edge over the Blues in terms of possession and its recycling, but fair to say, Frank Lampard's men could have been in front as well.
They both relied on their respective counter-attacking prowess, but while Ajax believed in interchanging individual positions to cause a bit of uncertainty and confusion among the Chelsea defenders, the away side looked to flood more crosses in.
It's understandable since the likes of Daley Blind and Joel Veltman are not the most frightening in terms of their physical frame. Beating and outnumbering Chelsea in central midfield, causing Jorginho to pull wider off his central position was meanwhile, Ajax's idea to the game.
Having broken down a few tactics, it's fair to say that neither side made the most of what they carved in front of goal.