Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Lampard – My young guns can go places
F R A N K L a mpa rd fe lt C h e l s e a’s st un n ing comeback against Ajax proves his young side can “go places” this season.
The Blues came from 4-1 down to snatch a 4-4 draw from a spellbinding Champions League encounter against last season’s semi-finalists.
They scored two own goals and two penalties while Ajax had two players sent off on a chaotic night at Stamford Bridge.
Cesar Azpilicueta even thought he had scored a winner, only for VAR to rule his goal out for handball in the build-up.
Nevertheless, a point from a breathless match keeps Chelsea firmly in the race to qualify from Group H, level on points with Ajax and Valencia.
Blues boss Lampard said: “It was just a mad one, there are not too many I can compare it to from my day, with the VAR which is a new animal, and the red cards.
“But take all that out of it, and the spirit and the character was something I love. We need to tighten up, for sure, but with that spirit we can go places.
“You need characters, you need personalities. It would be easy to turn it in at 3-1, or 4-1, but we didn’t.
“I think this group was always going to be tight, and we are in it. We’ve got two games left, very tough matches, and we have a lot of work to do.”
Ajax took the lead inside two minutes when Tammy Abraham inadvertently diverted a Quincy Promes free-kick into his own net.
However, moments later Jorginho equalised from the penalty spot after a foul on Christian Pulisic.
However, Promes headed the second before Hakim Ziyech’s freekick beat Kepa Arrizabalaga, came back off the post and hit the keeper full in the face before bouncing in.
It was four 10 minutes after halftime thanks to Donny Van De Beek but the comeback began when Azpilicueta tapped in.
Then, in another crazy 60 seconds, Daley Blind was shown a second yellow card and Joel Veltman followed him down the tunnel for handball.
Stamford Bridge was rocking as Jorginho rolled in his second penalty of the night, and it was pandemonium moments later when substitute Reece James lashed home from a corner to equalise.