Chelsea snatched a crucial late goal in Amsterdam to reignite their Champions League campaign and move level on points with Ajax in Group H.
Ajax thought they had taken the lead 10 minutes for half-time when Quincy Promes escaped Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post to nod home, only for VAR to adjudge that he had been inches offside when Hakim Ziyech’s cross was struck.
Neither side had done much to excite a packed Johan Cruijff Arena up until that point but Ajax looked the more likely, and they nearly had the ball in the net again when Edson Alvarez’s header beat Kepa Arrizabalaga but struck the far post and bounced clear.
Frank Lampard sent on Christian Pulisic and Michy Batshuayi for the last 20 minutes and the latter almost had an immediate impact, first weakly shooting into Andre Onana’s arms and then over his crossbar with the best chance of the game to that point.
Fellow substitute Pulisic also went close and it was the same pair that combined to provide the decisive goal, the American jinking his way to the byline and crossing for Batshuayi, who read Marcos Alonso‘s dummy and finished from close range.
