In different circumstances the boos when the full-time whistle arrived and Stamford Bridge digested another stumble from Chelsea on home soil would have been the story of the day. It would have been about Enzo Maresca’s shortcomings against a low block, the creative deficit caused by Cole Palmer’s absence and the inconsistencies preventing the youngest team in the Premier League from muscling their way into the title race.

Victory would have lifted Chelsea two points off top spot before Arsenal host Crystal Palace on Sunday. Victory, though, was never within their grasp. Sunderland, again showing why they are such a fine addition to the Premier League, never allowed the world champions to assume control.

It is a sad fact of modern life for Ajax that their name commands more respect than their football these days. They were once the team of the moment, pushing tactical boundaries they ruled the continent in the 1970s, and they even fielded the youngest starting lineup in the history of the European Cup when they won it for a fourth time in 1995.

Yet those days are long gone. Ajax are a shadow of their former selves, a pale imitation under the beleaguered John Heitinga, and do not have the means to keep up when richer clubs invest their vast resources into youth projects of their own.