We couldn't have made a better start, taking the lead inside of two minutes after the excellent Flamini stole the ball away and fed Reyes who in turn played through Freddie whose finish was exquisite. Ajax looked rattled, and threatened only towards the end of a half which we had thoroughly controlled without ever looking too threatening ourselves.
The half time team talk did the trick for Ajax, as the came back out looking more purposeful and attacked with more intent. We struggled a little through the opening ten minutes, before finding our feet as we retained possession well. A stoppage due to a clash of heads between Toure and Charisteas took the edge off of their revival, and allowed us to reassert ourselves. On sixty eight minutes Jose broke through their offside trap and was taken down. After an agonising wait the referee gave us the penalty. It seemed to be the chance to wrap the game up, and once it had been cooly slotted home by Pires, victory should have been assured.
However, as the old saying goes, you are most vulnerable after you score, and this proved to be the case with Ajax grabbing a goal back instantly. Almunia had tipped the first long range effort onto the post, but Rosenberg was on hand to but the rebound in.
A nervy final 20 ensued, but solid defending saw us through to see us take maximum points and lead the group by 3. A couple of strong displays against Sparta Prague should see us through, with games to spare.
Manuel Almunia (6) Fumbled the only shot he had to deal with in the first half, and his kicking was poor for the majority, but his second half display was much improved as he made two fine stops in a crucial period of the game.
Ashley Cole (7) Kept the highly rated Babel quiet all night, only allowing him past once.
Sol Campbell (8) Joint man of the match with Toure. He was strong and committed, and was calm at all times which was much needed. His confidence to play at his own pace spread through the team.
Kolo Toure (8) Gave everything he had for the team. Got physical with Ajax early on and continued that way throughout the game. His hard hitting challenges saw us through some tough spells.
Lauren (7) Those people who say he can't defend should watch this one back. Had the beating of his man all night and overlapped well to allow Hleb to roam inside.
Alexander Hleb (6) The turns and flicks were dazzling, and his passing excellent up until half time. His passing slightly deteriorated and he tired in the second half.
Cesc Fabregas (6) Got stuck right in, and got forward to good effect, but was invisible for much of the second half.
Mathieu Flamini (7) A real powerhouse in the centre. He ran the midfield and moved forward into good attacking positions. His reading of the game combined with excellent ball play and tackling was fantastic to watch.
Robert Pires (6) Just made the game after injury, and didn't look 100% fit. Took his penalty well under pressure and played a few neat passes.
Jose Reyes (7) Covered plenty of ground, but his decision making at times let him down.
Freddie Ljungberg (7) He ran himself into the ground chasing lost causes and closing down defenders. His movement caused trouble to the Ajax defence all night, and his goal showed just that.
Subs:
Quincy (6) Hardly had a touch as we played long ball to him which isn't his game.
Gael Clichy (N/A) Only played for the last few minutes.
Pascal Cygan (N/A) Replaced Hleb in injury time.