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In what unfolded as an edge-of-the-seat thriller, Chelsea and AFC Ajax shared the spoils at Stamford Bridge to move to seven points from their opening four Champions League matches.
Tammy Abraham's unfortunate own goal gifted the visitors a morale-boosting lead as early as the second minute, before Jorginho converted from the spot imperiously moments later.
A couple of magical deliveries from Hakim Ziyech muscled the Dutch giants to a healthy 3-1 lead at the break, with Donny van de Beek's sublime finish in the 55th minute appearing as a final nail in the coffin.
However, it was not to be, as Chelsea came back to score three more against a nine-man side that lost both its center backs in quick succession. A tap-in from skipper Cesar Azpilicueta, another peerless penalty from Jorginho and a levelling goal from Reece James restored parity.
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The former thought he had won the game when he steered a fierce strike from inside the box to the corner of the net, only to ruled out by VAR against Abraham's supposed handball in the build-up.
Group H therefore, is wide open after Valencia thrashed LOSC Lille 3-1, meaning the Blues, Ajax and the Spanish side are all on seven points.
There was barely a breath to catch, and on that note, we analyze the five major talking points from the cracker between Chelsea and Ajax.
#1 Ziyech's delivery the difference in the first half
Right from the first whistle, Chelsea looked off the pace, as Ajax quickly attained their fluid shape and began to dictate proceedings. They were awarded a free kick in the second minute of the game, and after a bit of a chaos in the penalty area, the ball ended up in the back of the net through Abraham.
But from there on, it was all about Hakim Ziyech. He was the motor behind the well-taken lead, yet again proving how deadly he can be from the right channel.
The 26-year-old whipped in a lovely curling cross into the path of Quincy Promes, who made no mistake in heading in. The ball completely cut open Chelsea's defence, before Ziyech curled another that struck the woodwork and went in off Kepa's face.
It was luckless from the hosts' perspective, but the ball was sent in with real venom and purpose.
It just looked like he had all the time in the world to find some space and pick the pass, as illustrated through Ajax's fourth. He beat the challenges, won the loose ball and calmly slotted a pass for van de Beek to smash another.
Overall, Ziyech tormented Marcos Alonso with his pace, trickery and never-say-die attitude off the ball, as a result of which the Chelsea left-back lost possession in his half many a time.
#2 Chelsea's full-backs were all over the place
From the tactical perspective, it'd have been wiser of Frank Lampard to hand a start to Emerson and Reece James down either side. This so, because both of them can handle, track and trace a pacy Ajax side better than the other pair.
While it was important to have Azpilicueta as a leader in such an important game, he could have plied his trade at left back. The Chelsea skipper, much maligned this season for his displays, gave away a cheap foul that lead to the opening goal of the night.
Further, he failed to time his tackles and was often beaten by the interplay between the midfielders and Promes. He rushed way too early in order to catch up, but often ended up digging his own grave.
Alonso meanwhile, was levels below the standard produced in the match on an overall note. For starters, he never ever caught up with Ziyech, almost as if the winger was given a head-start throughout the game down the right.
He gave away a silly foul that led to the own goal from Kepa. Why on Earth would one lunge in with the opponent player facing the opposite down, in a wide position? Further, he was nowhere near Ziyech when the cross came in for Promes.
On an evening where the Blues' center-backs were determined and focused, their wide defenders just totally let the team down.
#3 Ajax's fourth goal exemplifies how well they kept the ball
Ajax's fourth goal simply summed up their intensity, class and fearless nature, regardless of the stature of the opposition.
It might have gone unnoticed, but the move transpired off the back of a Chelsea attack that initially, had the Ajax defenders backpedalling. And all of a sudden, an attack rose off Azpilicueta's side.
A half-hearted challenge from Tomori saw Ziyech retain the ball, following which the Moroccan passed it to an unmarked Van de Beek, who took a touch and dispatched it past a hapless Kepa.
It signified a host of fundamentals followed by the Dutch powerhouse. The transition from defence to attack was staggeringly quick, while that extra yard and muscle to keep the ball was clearly visible.
Van de Beek, as often as we've seen of him, occupied a promising position inside the box and skipped his marker with aplomb. How Chelsea awarded him that much time and space inside the box is subject to severe scrutiny, but credit the youngster for a spectacular swatted finish.
#4 Two red cards completely change the game as Chelsea rescue a point
Perhaps the biggest talking point, rather, turning point of the game, was the sending off of the Ajax centre-halves in double-quick time.
One would blame the refereeing across the 90 minutes of the game, from the harsh yellow cards to the controversial dismissals of the Ajax defenders. Not to mention, Tammy Abraham's hand, which was in no way intentional or away from his body line, should probably not have been considered as a motive to rule out Azpilicueta's late strike.
As a result, it gave rise to a frantic finish to a game that left people wondering what was happening.
Since the double red card incident, Chelsea eased past Ajax in terms of piercing through gaps, playing with speed and carving openings through. It didn't take too many passes to reach the final 15 metres of the pitch, owing to the shape maintained by the nine men.
The Blues, although proud of their valiant effort, would be ruing their chances and the disallowed goal as well. Callum Hudson-Odoi, played in easily just outside the box, almost found the right bottom corner, before Michy Batshuayi almost produced another super-sub moment on the half-turn, only to be denied by the strong left hand of Andre Onana.
Edson Alvarez almost scored himself too, following a decent individual effort from Dusan Tadic down the right. Kepa was needed to dive to his left and rescue his side again, just as he did in the dying stages at Watford last weekend.
Chelsea completely bossed the game and created chances repeatedly, although Ajax had a couple of them from the aforementioned moment as well as a free-kick.
#5 Frank Lampard's men do have massive appetite and mentality
A late winner against Newcastle, tight nerves against Watford and Ajax away from home, a display of individual brilliance at Burnley - this Chelsea team is learning how to win matches through a variety of approaches.
More significantly, there's a feeling of assumed inevitability whenever they're down or in dire need of a response. It's too clear to assign to incompetence, as Lampard certainly seems to have infused a bigger desire in each heart present within the dressing room.
The moment Azpilicueta rushed to celebrate, kiss the badge and lift everyone inside Stamford Bridge, he, along with his charges, hinted a clear indication of that goal being more than just a remote lifeline.
It was a call for response, a moment that would go on to inspire the entire unit to snatch a point off Ajax's claws.
There will be slip-ups, off days and occasions where this team, already vulnerable to conceding goals, will put in disheartening performances. But Chelsea certainly possesses a huge heart that craves glory and mainly results - one at a time.
