Chelsea salvaged a draw against Ajax. It was an objectively terrible performance by the Blues yet an ultimately triumphant draw.
Where to even start with that match? The two red cards that turned the game from a blowout into a comeback? The late VAR decision that turned a win into a draw? This was a game so completely filled to the brim with objective terribleness by the Blues as well as triumph.
While the draw feels like a victory (though also a consolation given the VARed fifth goal), the fact that it was once 4-1 in Ajax’s favor should not be completely ignored. The issues that caused that will not go away because of how things ultimately ended. And it is that which should have kept Frank Lampard up all night, albeit with a slight smile perhaps.
Ultimately, there will be two ways to view this match: the first half as an abject disasterclass by nearly every player and the roaring fight back in the second half that was ultimately quite enough. Both tell a great deal about this Chelsea thus far this season and going forward towards the winter slog.
Set piece defending obviously remains an issue but Ajax had two special cases. The first one showcases exactly why Tammy Abraham is not a defender and why it is a problem that zonal defending (mixed or otherwise) asks him to be. This is a player born to score goals. Put him near one and the ball is bound to go in. Unfortunately for Chelsea, that works for both goals. Abraham now has a second own goal to add to his count.
The free kick own goal off Kepa Arrizabalaga’s face (side note: there should be no such thing as own goals on keepers just as a principle) was caused by a completely unnecessary foul by Marcos Alonso. Sandwiched between those two set piece goals was a fantastic pass that froze Cesar Azpilicueta on the spot as he got caught in behind. Oh, and also the first of two Jorginho penalties.
Christian Pulisic had a good first half. Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Mateo Kovacic were mostly passengers. The rest? Some of their worst performances this season.
The second half saw things improve with an initial burst through the center by Kurt Zouma and a (deserved) swap of Reece James and Alonso. The Blues felt like they had a say in things until the fourth goal went in. Fikayo Tomori fluffed his tackle wide, Jorginho stood off, Kovacic failed to track his man, and Zouma was left on an island as the fourth required a simple finish. The Blues, even if they had been looking better, were carved apart. Mount coming off injured did not improve the mood.
And that is probably the best place to freeze frame the match. The Blues were bad, very bad, and it is hard to say it was simply down to bad performances. Lampard spoke about tiny details in the buildup to the match and the Blues had gotten them all wrong. 4-1 seemed deserved.
But then Cesar Azpilicueta came roaring up the left to make it 4-2. Pulisic and Abraham were hacked down by Daley Blind. A second yellow for the Dutchman, though a strange one in that advantage was still played. And because advantage was played, Callum Hudson-Odoi took a shot that was smacked away by Joel Veltman, his second. All of a sudden Chelsea had a life line.
This had been coming for Ajax as they, regardless of the score, were throwing themselves into tackles as if they had it all to lose. At 4-2, the Dutch side had little to worry about but in the end they undid themselves. Chelsea had the foot hold they needed and it quickly became 4-4. A fifth was chalked off by VAR somewhat harshly and the final whistle blew.
On the one hand, Chelsea was very bad. Lampard needs to take a long hard look at himself and his team for collapsing that badly in front of a totally home crowd. But on the other, the Blues never stopped fighting for the win and though they had some help to bring it up to 4-4, it was not outside of the realms of possibility before that. Chelsea had been blooded, but they certainly were not beaten.
The game was everything good and bad about Chelsea this season. The highs and lows were all brought back as the Blues fought their way into their current position. It was a bittersweet game that all the Chelsea players and Lampard will be glad is over. But it is hard to ignore that rain cloud that loomed for the vast majority of it.
Chelsea has just one more match before the next international break and then the dreaded winter slog will have arrived. Trips away to Manchester City and Valencia (now a must win) will kick things off. If the Blues show the desire they showed late on, the slog will be a doable challenge. But if they show the lackadaisical nature that preceded the comeback, it will be a long winter indeed.