Chelsea vs Ajax substitution enrages fans as 'sacked in the morning' chants bellow out

Travelling Ajax supporters made their feelings known when John Heitinga made an early change vs Chelsea. Shortly after Marc Guiu fired the Blues into the lead, the former Liverpool coach and Everton defender made a controversial substitution.

Heitinga brought on Jorthy Mokio for Oscar Gloukh as he looked to reshuffle the pack following Kenneth Taylor's dismissal earlier in the half. The sacrificial change enraged the Ajax fans in the Shed End, who deemed it to be the boss giving up on chasing the game so early on.

A chorus of boos broke out, to which the home faithful responded with 'sacked in the morning' chants.

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Heitinga currently faces an uncertain future at the Johan Cruyff Arena following a disappointing start to the season.

The Dutch giants are currently ninth in the Eredivisie, with just 16 points – nine behind Feyenoord, who're currently leading the title race. Earlier this month, Heitinga denied fears that he could get the boot.

Speaking to reporters following a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Marseille on home turf, the 41-year-old said: "Listen, the fans are disappointed, we're disappointed.

"The players were completely exhausted, fought until the very end. We kept playing football, with courage. But we're a team in construction. And eventually I know we'll get it right, but that will take some time."

Heitinga added: "You're simply playing against a very good team, the one that beat Paris Saint-Germain last week. A team that has given Champions League lessons. I complimented the boys. We played with courage, fought, and even after being down 4-0, we kept fighting."

When quizzed on his future prior to the Champions League bout, he said: "Am I worried about my position? No."

Heitinga has put on a brave face in recent weeks, the pressure appears to have taken its toll.

Ahead of Wednesday night's clash in west London, he took a dig at Jorrel Hato, who left Ajax to join the Club World Cup champions in the summer.

"They have a lot of quality in every position," said Heitinga. "To name one example, Jorrel Hato was one of our best players at Ajax. He is bought by Chelsea.

"He is sitting here on the bench. He hardly plays. That says a lot about this Chelsea, about the quality, because Jorrel is a difference maker for us.

"Of course, he needs the time. Just like with us. The guys we have attracted - you have to give them the time. But if a player is bought for so much money and hardly plays here, that says a lot about the strength of this Chelsea."

A quote from Johan Cruyff was also cited at Heitinga's pre-match press conference. The Dutchman said: "I've never seen a bag of money score but I think Chelsea have spent a lot of money in recent years.

"We play against teams that are stronger than us but it's about how we get on the pitch [on Wednesday]. And that doesn't matter, it can go either way.

"We've seen [those] results in the last two rounds in the Champions League. It's one game."

The Blues added insult to injury on the night by scoring an avalanche of goals against the 10 men, hitting home a fifth just minutes into the second half to make the score 5-1. The defeat will spell a third straight loss for Ajax in the Champions League this season.