Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca speaking about Estevao Willian after the Brazilian scored in the win against Ajax: "Exciting to see him. The odd thing about Estevao is with young players you're worried they have one good game and think they're top.

"Estevao is polite, he's humble, he wants to learn. His family make a big job there. We're happy not only way with way he performs but he's a nice boy, a good boy.

"I think in the Premier League he needs a little more time. It's very smilar to Cole Palmer. I had him same age with City's under-23s. Cole played wide and now he's inside. Now Estevao plays wide but in the future I think he's more of an inside player.

"We could have scored more goals - but we tried to manage the game. On Saturday we have Sunderland here. They're physically strong. We're happy. Every game is different."

Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Estevao Willian might be only 18 but he has already drawn comparisons with Cole Palmer and Lamine Yamal.

The Brazil international scored a late winner to down reigning Premier League champions Liverpool earlier this month before scoring from the penalty spot against Ajax last night.

Having signed from Palmeiras in a £29m deal at the start of the season, Estevao is already:

• The youngest player in Premier League history to assist a goal for Chelsea
• The youngest Brazilian to score the winning goal in a Premier League game
• The youngest goalscorer in Chelsea’s Champions League history

Chelsea

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, speaking to TNT Sports, after last night's victory: "The red card changed the game. We know how difficult it is when we get a red card.

"We started well. With 10 changes... it's a very demanding season so we need to rotate because it's complicated for the ones who play all the games.

"We know when you concede a red card with 10 minutes to go it's OK but when it's more than an hour to play it's difficult for everyone.

"We trust a lot the younger players. The strategy of the club. Not only the ones we buy but the ones from the academy.

"It's the strategy of the club. We have so many young players. I think already last season we were the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League, so this season we continue in the same way."

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Alan Hansen infamously said “you can’t win anything with kids”, but that was 30 years ago and Enzo Maresca clearly doesn’t share that sentiment.

The Chelsea side picked by Maresca last night had an average age of only 22, the second youngest by an English side in Champions League history.

His bold selection was vindicated in a 5-1 win against Ajax, with Marc Guiu, Estevao and Tyrique George all on target – the first time in the competition’s history three teenagers have scored for one team in a single game.

It’s only fair to point out that while substitute George is a Chelsea academy graduate, none of the starting line-up came through the ranks at Cobham.

Most of their top young talents have been recruited from elsewhere, often at significant cost and with the promise of pathway to first-team football.

Nonetheless, it is a model which appears to be working for the Blues, who finished fourth in the Premier League in May despite the average age of their starting line-up being just 24 years and 36 days – the youngest across an entire season in the competition’s history.

Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's 5-1 win against Ajax was a display of the amount of talent they have at their disposal.

Marc Guiu became the club's youngest ever Champions League goalscorer with the opener against the Dutch side at Stamford Bridge.

But that record lasted only 33 minutes as Estevao Willian broke it with a penalty.

Then Tyrique George, who is a month younger than Guiu, scored to become the second-youngest Champions League scorer for the Blues.

Midfielder Reggie Walsh, who only turned 17 this week, was also given minutes by Enzo Maresca against the 10-man Ajax.

Josh Acheampong, who scored against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, and Jorrel Hato, both 19, also featured while 16-year-old Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and goalkeeper Max Merrick, 19, were among the substitutes.

In total, 10 players aged 21 or younger featured for Chelsea in the non-contest in west London.

Romeo Lavia, Jamie Gittens and Facundo Buonanotte, all aged 21 or younger, were also involved for Chelsea, who have not used a player over 30 since the beginning of last season.

Their squad will be further boosted by the arrival of 18-year-old Portuguese winger Geovany Quenda next summer with Chelsea having already agreed a £40m deal with Sporting for the highly-rated teenager.

Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea needed hard-fought wins against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in the final days of last season to finish fourth and book a place in the Champions League.

But Enzo Maresca's side would hope to secure a top-four finish and a Champions League spot with time to spare this time around as the Opta supercomputer gives them a 41.45% chance for a top-four finish.

As things stand, Opta predicts Chelsea to earn 64 points for the fourth-placed finish - about five points clear of fifth-placed Crystal Palace but 14 points short of predicted winners Arsenal and seven points behind Liverpool and Manchester City.

Meanwhile, in the Champions League, Chelsea are given a 5.43% chance to emerge as champions.

But mind you, they are not too far behind the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, who are 5.65% and 5.48% probable of lifting the trophy.

The trio are behind Arsenal (21%), Paris St-Germain (14%), Liverpool (12.31%), Manchester City (12.12%) and Bayern Munich (9%) in Opta's predictions.

But Maresca's side would fancy beating those odds, having already had plenty of experience in knockout competitions after winning the Conference League and Club World Cup last season - the latter at the expense of European champions PSG.

Chelsea

Bit of a mixed bag of opinions flying around. Keep them coming in.

But we have also peeked at what the Opta Supercomputer thinks Chelsea are cooking this season.

Here’s what we found out...

Chelsea

Chelsea have a kind run of fixtures in the coming weeks before two blockbuster battles with Barcelona and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge at the end of next month.

The Blues face Sunderland next in the Premier League before facing Wolves in the Carabao Cup.

A short trip to Tottenham follows before they take on Qarabag in the Champions League and Wolves again, this time in the league, before November's international break.

Chelsea and Barca have produced some memorable clashes over the years and the two youthful sides will hope to write a new chapter in their rivalry when they meet on 25 November.

Maresca's side will then face one of their biggest challenges of the season when they take on title contenders Arsenal five days later.

Chelsea upcoming fixtures in all competitions:

• 25 Oct - Sunderland (h)
• 29 Oct - Wolves (a) (Carabao Cup)
• 01 Nov - Tottenham (a)
• 05 Nov - Qarabag (a) (UCL)
• 08 Nov - Wolves (h)
• 22 Nov - Burnley (a)
• 25 Nov - Barcelona (h) (UCL)
• 30 Nov - Arsenal (h)

Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea broke several records in an emphatic 5-1 win over 10-man Ajax at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Here are some of the new marks they set last night:

• Marc Guiu, 19, becoming Chelsea's youngest Champions League scorer
• This was broken 33 minutes later when Estevao Willian, 18, scored a penalty
• Reggie Walsh, 17, became the second youngest Englishman after Jack Wilshere to play Champions League
• Walsh also become Chelsea's youngest player in the Champions League, breaking the record previously held by Dominic Solanke
• Chelsea also became the first team in Champions League history to have three teenage scorers when academy product Tyrique George scored just after half-time
• Jamie Gittens is the youngest Chelsea player on record (since 2003/04) to create five or more chances in a Champions League match (21 years and 75 days), a record previously held by Eden Hazard, having also provided an assist
• Chelsea (22 years, 163 days) also named the second youngest starting XI by an English side in Champions League history, with only Arsenal ever naming a younger side (21 years, 151 days) against Olympiakos in 2009

Chelsea

Another impressive display and on a four-game winning run, it looks as if Chelsea's expensively assembled young squad is finally coming together.

After winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup last season, are the Blues about to add to their silverware collection this season? Are they ready to challenge the big guns at home and Europe?

Are the results starting to justify the insane amount of money that has been invested at Stamford Bridge?

And which young player has impressed you the most in Enzo Maresca's squad?

We would love to hear your thoughts, so click on the 'Get Involved' tab at the top of this page and send in your views.

Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

After a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Brighton last month, Chelsea are now one a four-game winning run across all competitions.

It began with a 1-0 win against Benfica in Europe on 30 September before a memorable last-gasp 2-1 victory against defending champions Liverpool in the Premier League.

They followed it up with a 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest, which cost Ange Postecoglou his job at the City Ground, before the demolition of Ajax.

And with games against Sunderland and Wolves, in the Carabao Cup, coming up next, Enzo Maresca's side are well-poised to extend their winning run further.

Chelsea's recent results:

20 Sep - Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea

23 Sep - Lincoln City 1-2 Chelsea (Carabao Cup)

27 Sep - Chelsea 1-3 Brighton

30 Sep - Chelsea 1-0 Benfica (UCL)

04 Oct - Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

18 Oct - Nottingham Forest 0-3 Chelsea

22 Oct - Chelsea 5-1 Ajax (UCL)

Paul Robinson
Former Tottenham goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

Ajax were waiting for the final whistle since that fifth goal went in after half-time. It has been a soul-destroying game for them.

A very good confidence builder for Chelsea. I have not seen a team this dominant in the Champions League for an hour in a game.

Chelsea

First, let's remind ourselves of what transpired at Stamford Bridge last night.

Chelsea become the first team in Champions League history to have three teenage scorers as they secured a 5-1 win over a woeful Ajax side.

Goals from Marc Guiu, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Estevao Willian and Tyrique George gave the Blues their fourth successive victory in all competitions.

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport

Thanks Ben, go grab yourself a deserved break!

And yes, let's shift our focus to Chelsea now.

Wasn't it a fun watch for all the Chelsea fans out there as the Blues thrashed Ajax 5-1 last night!

Though Wout Weghorst, formerly of Burnley and Manchester United, scored from a penalty for the visitors, Ajax were never in the contest as the young Chelsea side sailed to victory.

Ben Ramsdale
BBC Sport

Because you both asked so nicely...

Chelsea love festival with Adwaidh Rajan coming up now.

Sounds like a really rubbish reality TV show.