Chelsea hit back from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 with nine-man Ajax, Liverpool win

Frank Lampard will be proud of his players tonight - although he won't be too happy with some of the things he saw in the first 45 minutes. Lampard knows his team lost their concentration and were punished by a good side but he'll be proud of the way they picked the game up at the start of the second half.

For Liverpool it was job done and get ready for the weekend. Hopefully everyone will be fit and well and we have an exciting game against Manchester City. We say it was a flat performance but Liverpool had 25 shots on goal and 72% possession. It almost became too easy and there was just no challenge for the players.

Genk boss Felice Mazzu has called Liverpool "the best team in the world" but is "proud" of his side's showing at Anfield.

Says he changed the system and the players only had two days to work on it.

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Ajax, Chelsea and Valencia are tied on seven points in Group H. So why is it that Ajax are top?

In the Champions League, teams who are level on points are separated by head-to-head record. Chelsea have beaten and drawn with Ajax, but are not top because when three teams are level on points it becomes a head-to-head between all three sides involved.

These are the results between the teams so far...

Chelsea 0-1 Valencia

Valencia 0-3 Ajax

Ajax 0-1 Chelsea

Chelsea 4-4 Ajax

Which equates to this:

Ajax P 3, Pts 4, For 7, Against 5, GD 2

Chelsea P 3, Pts 4, For 5, Against 5, GD 0

Valencia P 2, Pts 3, For 1 Against 3, GD -2

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Chelsea boss Frank Lampard on BT: "I can't explain the game. For all the things we might analyse back, the madness of the game, we are here for entertainment I suppose and anyone who watched that has to say what a game of football. Respect to Ajax, what a spectacle.

"I don't think I have been in a game like it. The two own goals were the story of the first half. I said at half time it will be 3-3 or 4-4, we were so in the game.

"We looked dangerous and I felt we would build momentum. I am not happy overall, this is the Champions League and we made too many mistakes.

"The biggest pleasure is the spririt the whole stadium showed. I can't give you much on the red cards, I didn't really see what they were for.

"At half time I would have taken a draw for sure. Let's take it as what it was. I was expecting somewhere towards 10 minutes of added time, not sure where four came from."

EPACopyright: EPA

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to BT Sport: "We didn't finish our situations in the way we could have done. We had a lot of shots and some really big chances that we usually use. We didn't do that and it kept the game open. That gave them a lot of energy.

"It was a good goal from them. It kept them alive. In the end, if we only score one and they score one it's a lot of effort. Ox [Oxlade-Chamberlain] got that wonderful goal but again, we don't finish the situation. The players came through but you saw after a while it gets hard to get that rhythm and at the end of the game it was not there. We got a little bit of trouble but not really. It was job done.

"All the goals we have conceded have been completely different. These things we can summarise so it's not about defending but about being 100% spot on in these situatuions. We know that and we need to work on that.

"We were the clear favourites tonight. If we scored two or three in the first half nobody would have thought that couldn't have happened. But it went 1-1 and then it got tricky. But now we are all good. Tomorrow will be a nice recovery day for everybody and then prepare for Manchester City."

On the fixture build-up in the Carabao Cup and Club World Cup: "We will see. The final decision about the team line-ups has not been made. It's not that we can play here and then there the next day. It's not to be decided now. All the other alternatives were just no good for us. Now we have a little bit of time to think it through."

Joe Wedgwood: Utterly baffled how you can be a supposed top ref, have VAR support and STILL decide a match with incompetence. Ajax have had that match unfairly stolen from them.

Inter-Galactic Guy: I hope the premier league is taking notes on how to use VAR properly. None of that "Clear and obvious" nonsense. Zero time wasted, superb football on show, everyone goes home happy - except maybe Chelsea fans.

Ajax top the group - we're just confirming why but it goes down to a three-way head-to-head.

A head-to-head-to-head if you will.

Jonathan Hart: Ajax with 11 men - 2 shots on target, 4 goals. Ajax with 9 men - 3 shots on target, 0 goals.

And there's no way, equally, that Tammy Abraham could do anything but handle that shot for the disallowed 'fifth goal'.

Just watching it again - not sure how Joel Veltman could avoid handling that shot. A penalty, maybe - a second yellow?!

Paul: Well done Ajax, quality, entertaining team who still got a positive result despite a chunk of it being their 9 men (1 of which was a joke of a 2nd yellow) vs Chelsea's 11 plus the officials who were a joke.

FishLion: I love Chelsea, but those Ajax boys are aesthetically pleasing to watch. Delightful

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Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, who is wearing an ice pack around his ankle: "It's just a kick. Milly [Milner] has them every day and gets on with it! The player caught me nicely! It's a bit of a sore one but all good.

"I feel like I'm getting better with every game physically but I think there's more to come from me defensively and pressing with the right intensity.

"It takes a while to get that back but I think I'm getting better with that. I'm happy with how it's gone. It's important to get three points and push in the group. Overall, we're happy with three points."

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Chelsea full-back Reece James on BT Sport: "It was a crazy game! They were hard to break down and we took adavantage of them going down to nine men, it was a shame we couldn't win.

"Scoring a goal is a bonus. The manager told me to come on and liven the boys up, we had chances to win it but from where we were at half time it's a good result."

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Liverpool midfielder/emergency left-back James Milner: "I thought we were good at times. The boys keep coming out and try to keep that tempo high. It could have been a lot more comfortable but they made it difficult. I'm just pleased to get the result.

"Set-pieces are always going to be dangerous. There were six changes tonight so the hardest things to pick up are always going to be shape but it's something we can look at to improve.

"Every game is tough in the Champions League. It's a boring saying but it's true! We need to finish the job now. We are in a good position."

SMS Message: The referee is certainly Chelsea's man of the match, he and he alone has prevented a comfortable Ajax victory tonight. They will be furious with a pair of laughable penalties and two equally soft red cards. Chelsea impending comeback victory means absolutely nothing, talk about ruining a good game. from Alan, Seaton

The referee is certainly Chelsea's man of the match, he and he alone has prevented a comfortable Ajax victory tonight. They will be furious with a pair of laughable penalties and two equally soft red cards. Chelsea impending comeback victory means absolutely nothing, talk about ruining a good game.

SMS Message: Can someone tell Solksjaer to watch Ajax if he thinks hes blooding 'youngsters' an absolute delight to watch! from Andy, Cannock

Can someone tell Solksjaer to watch Ajax if he thinks hes blooding 'youngsters' an absolute delight to watch!

SMS Message: Started looking at the football on BBC sports app at 21:18. That has to be the best 12 mins of football updates EVER!! 4-4 with Ajax at 9 men. What a game! from Mark, Norwich

Started looking at the football on BBC sports app at 21:18. That has to be the best 12 mins of football updates EVER!! 4-4 with Ajax at 9 men. What a game!