Top Winners and Losers After Wednesday's Champions League Matchday 3 Results

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still around and still talented. The Liverpool midfielder used the third matchday of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League to remind people why the Reds paid £35 million to sign him from Arsenal in 2017. 

Two goals from Oxlade-Chamberlain sent the holders on their way to a 4-1 win away to Genk in Group E. Liverpool already look well-enough equipped in attacking areas to repeat last season's success.

Chelsea may not be able to match Liverpool's recent achievements, but the Blues do at least know they made the right decision hiring Frank Lampard as manager in the summer. The club's record goalscorer has proved he's not out of his depth in the dugout by guiding Chelsea to a second win in a row in Group H.

Substitute Michy Batshuayi's late goal beat Ajax but also sent Olivier Giroud a clear message about how low he is in the pecking order under Lampard.

Speaking of Ajax, the Eredivisie outfit looks like a shadow of the team that reached last season's semi-final. Losing midfielder Frenkie de Jong and centre-back Matthijs de Ligt in the summer has taken away the foundation Ajax used to upset some of Europe's heavyweights.

Winner: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

As recently as Sunday, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was criticised for a lack of end product. It was a valid complaint when he wasted more than one shooting opportunity after coming on as a substitute during Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

In reality, Oxlade-Chamberlain has always been a natural talent who just needed to avoid injuries to prove it. Freshly returned from the knee problem that kept him out for around 16 months, the midfielder proved his worth with a brilliant brace in Belgium.

Oxlade-Chamberlain struck twice from distance, something good enough to already earn him a distinction in this season's competition:

The goals showcased what Oxlade-Chamberlain offers and what this Liverpool team is lacking. Namely, dynamism from the advanced areas of midfield.

A team built to press relentlessly and defend from the front relies more on turnovers high up the pitch than natural creativity. However, Sunday's stalemate with United proved Liverpool need some extra guile away from home.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's vision and technique, superior to any other member of the Reds' midfield, can provide it.

Winner: Frank Lampard

Lampard was expected to show fear in Amsterdam:

Instead, the 41-year-old picked a team and crafted a plan designed to take the game to Ajax. His proactive approach relied on the pace and intelligence of wingers Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Chelsea were also unafraid to boss possession against a usually pass-happy opponent. Lampard trusted Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic to not only boss the ball but also to patrol the areas in front of the back four.

Any manager welcomes the plaudits when he gets his substitutions right, and Lampard was on the mark when he introduced Christian Pulisic for Willian and Batshuayi for Tammy Abraham.

The two newbies combined superbly for the winner and ensured Chelsea's sixth win from six under Lampard's astute stewardship:

Loser: Olivier Giroud

Giroud was a hero when helping Chelsea win last season's UEFA Europa League, but the Frenchman is firmly out in the cold on Lampard's watch. It already looked bleak for 33-year-old Giroud given how fond Lampard has been of playing academy graduates such as Abraham and Mason Mount.

Now Giroud must be wondering if he'll ever emerge from the obscurity of the bench after Batshuayi was the chosen one in the Netherlands. Giroud was left rooted to the lumber when it came time for Lampard to choose reinforcements.

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His choices defied the sentiment of recent words from the Chelsea boss saying Giroud still has a future, per Ian Winrow of the Daily Telegraph: "I love his professionalism. He was bang on when he spoke to me and with his quotes when he was away with France. He shouldn't be happy and accept not playing. That's what good players do. I think, as I said to Oli, he will get his games and be a big influence for us."

It's naturally going to be difficult for Giroud to supplant Abraham since the 22-year-old has nine goals to his credit so far this season. However, being overlooked in favour of both Abraham and Batshuayi will be the toughest test yet of Giroud's professionalism.

Loser: Post-De Jong and De Ligt Ajax

Even in the modern game it's still accepted good teams are built around a strong spine. Unfortunately for Ajax, the Dutch club cashed in on its spine this summer when Barcelona came calling for midfield workhorse De Jong and Juve stumped up the cash for defensive linchpin De Ligt.

Replacing two budding stars with their level of talent was never going to be easy, but there is no doubt Ajax are considerably weaker than last season. Razvan Marin hasn't replicated De Jong's application and artistry, while Lisandro Martinez hasn't exerted his influence at the back the way De Ligt did.

De Jong's absence has led to less involvement for Ajax's match-winners in the final third, a problem vividly exposed against Chelsea:

This isn't prematurely alarmist talk about a team beaten for the first time this season. There have been hints about the steady decline of a group that swept almost all before them in the last campaign but is considerably weaker this term.

Don't expect to see Ajax still playing at the business end of this season's tournament.