LIVE BLOG:
90+5min: Chelsea manage to create nothing coherent in added-on time and the final whistle sounds disappointingly.
90min: 5 minutes added on as Barkley wastes a pass.
87min: Morata gets a yellow for complaining. Then he’s called offside.
85min: Azpi, Cesc, and Kanté play a triangle and the latter is in acres of space, but Fàbregas overhits the pass and Pickford collects.
81min: Ross Barkley on for Kovačić, to strong reaction from both sets of fans. Script is ready to be written.
80min: Good work from Arrizabalaga as Lookman dances through half the team. Everton have the corner, Morata clears but it’s pumped back in and Azpi conceded another corner. It’s taken short this time and Chelsea win the throw.
78min: Rüdiger covers well as Everton try to counter through Richarlison.
76min: Morata goes down again as Fàbregas swings in a cross, flag is up for offside, saving the referee from having to make a call.
75min: Digne looks to be in after Azpilicueta loses his balance, but the linesman’s flag saves the day. Sigurdsson makes way (sloooowly) for Jagielka as Everton make their intentions clear.
73min: Hazard then misses from a David Luiz throughball. Pickford picks up a yellow for time-wasting.
72min: Morata scores from an Azpilicueta cross ... but is ruled offside, correctly.
68min: David Luiz covers well after Kovačić’s forward pass is cut out. Pedro comes on for Willian in a more standard substitution than the first.
65min: Hazard brings down a ball for Alonso, who keeps his effort low and hard ... but it hits the far post and bounces out. Unlucky, again!
64min: Lookman for Bernard and Fàbregas for Jorginho as both sides make a change.
63min: Hazard comes forward once again and tries his luck. A deflectio loops it up and almost under Pickford’s crossbar. He backpedals and palms it over; Chelsea waste the corner.
61min: Now it’s Hazard who has a go from range, which Pickford parries for a corner. Chelsea keep the ball for a minute, then win another corner. Jorginho’s long bomb is blocked.
60min: And now Chelsea come forward and Willian’s found with a great throughball, he’s 1-v-1 and goes far post ... and just misses by inches! End-to-end stuff.
59min: Everton come forward this time and Richarlison picks out a great cross for Bernard; he’s all alone but takes two terrible touches and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
58min: David Luiz finds Willian with a ball over the top but his touch takes him too wide. He swings a cross back in, and Morata’s there but is dragged down by Mina. Somehow, no call from the referee.
56min: Kepa’s forced into action for the first time, palming Sigurdsson’s shot over the bar with relative ease. Sigurdsson takes the corner and Chelsea clear. Everton appeal for a Rudiger handball, but that’s nonsense. Everton keep the ball however and Walcott is found over the top, but is offside.
55min: Digne kicks Willian in the knee, but the Chelsea man looks okay to continue.
52min: Hazard and Willian play a two-man game on the right before the former fizzes in a cross that Morata misses. Second goal he should’ve scored this half already!
48min: Sigurdsson finds Walcott steaming up the right with a fantastic ball; he easily outpaces Alonso, but a terrible first touch gives Arrizabalaga the chances to collect, which he does.
46min: Chelsea attack straight away down the left from the kick-off, as usual, and Hazard finds Morata, but Pickford makes a second excellent save and it stays scoreless. Morata probably should’ve done better...
HALF-TIME: Both teams have dealt with each other’s threats while dipping into the dark arts when needed. Plenty of tackles, incidents, and questionable calls. Pickford made one excellent save while Kepa has been mostly a bystander. First team to score might be the winner in this one.
45+3min: Perhaps a brief break for tempers to calm down is the best for all involved. Scoreless at the half.
5 - There were five yellow cards in the opening 45 minutes between Chelsea and Everton, the most in the first half of a single Premier League game this season. Excitable. #CHEEVE
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 11, 2018
45min: Kevin Friend lets fouls go at either end, then Rüdiger finds himself on the floor from a bit of afters with Bernard. Referee strangely decides both players should get a yellow.
42min: Hazard runs at goal and plays in Morata, but he falls down and the ball is half-cleared. Kanté pumps the ball back in but Everton only clear as far as Kovačić in the semicircle. His volley goes high however.
40min: Hazard wins the free kick 30 yards out. Willian finds Alonso wide left and he goes for the first-time volley. And it’s hit sweetly and true ... but Pickford makes a great save. Unlucky.
38min: Alonso and Walcott clash as they both lunge for the ball, with the former catching the latter’s ankle, but no harm no foul and we carry on. The intensity is starting to really ratchet up as we head towards the break.
34min: Chelsea finally create danger in the Everton box and the ball comes out to Kanté at the edge of the area. His left-footed bouncing volley is blocked however.
33min: Kanté next to go into the book as he’s turned by Richarlison in midfield.
31min: Chelsea have yet be able to truly handle Everton, and the visitors are looking dangerous when breaking at speed.
28min: David Luiz leaves a pass short for Jorginho, and Sigurdsson nips in. Jorginho just about stays with him, then lunges in to fully earn his yellow card and stop the attack. Sigurdsson stays down for a minute, but looks okay to carry on. Digne takes the free kick, which Keane heads well over.
23min: Mina clobbers Hazard outside the penalty area and gets a yellow for his troubles. The big man cleared the ball but also kicked Hazard straight in the ankle. Alonso takes and it misses only by a few inches. Looked in for a second!
19min: Morata knocks it down for Willian, but Digne’s there to cover at the last second. David Luiz then goes on a run forward but is tackled by Gueye. As he recovers, he stops the counter as well.
17min: Chelsea have a corner after Alonso’s cross is headed out by Keane. Willian takes it short and Chelsea retain possession without creating even a half-chance.
14min: Willian wins the ball back after losing it and finds Hazard in space, but his 1-2 with Kovačić does not come off thanks to a poor return ball and the chance is gone.
11min: Walcott and Coleman sprint forward but Alonso’s there to block the cross for a corner. Chelsea half-clear, but only as far as Bernard, who spanks a shot towards goal, fortunately juuuuust a bit outside.
10min: Chelsea finally settle down a bit and pass it around, but Everton defending well so far both centrally and out wide.
7min: Another turnover, but David Luiz and Kovačić avert the danger of the marauding Richarlison. Chelsea full of mistakes early.
5min: Rüdiger turns the ball over with a poor pass forward, but Azpilicueta stops Bernard and Chelsea recover. David Luiz nicks the ball away from Mina on the ensuing free kick.
4min: A long-ball over the top is just out of reach of Morata and Pickford collects. Everton
3min: Early corner for Everton as Kovačić loses the ball in midfield and the visitors come forward. Richarlison’s shot is deflected. Digne takes and it looks dangerous, but Andre Gomes mis-heads wide.
KICK-OFF: A minute’s silence impeccably observed and Everton get us underway.
11.11 — Armistice Day. Remembrance Day. One-hundred years ago, at 11am, the Great War was finally over. Football remembers, just as the world does, although we needed a second World War to truly learn many of those lessons.
And then there will be time for football. One more game before the November international break. Unbeaten in 17 in all competitions, Chelsea will be looking to keep pace with the title contenders — Liverpool kicked off earlier while Manchester City will follow in the Manchester Derby.
As expected, Sarri has chosen most of his usual starters. His selection matches both our predicted and preferred lineups! Meanwhile, Richarlison is fit enough to start for Everton. We’ll have to be careful and play very well.
Here we go!
Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Alonso, Rüdiger, David Luiz, Azpilicueta (c) | Kovačić, Jorginho, Kanté | Hazard, Morata, Willian
Substitutes from: Caballero, Christensen, Zappacosta, Fàbregas, Barkley, Pedro, Giroud
Everton starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Pickford | Digne, Mina, Keane, Coleman (c) | André Gomes, Gueye | Bernard, Sigurdsson, Walcott | Richarlison
Substitutes from: Stekelenburg, Baines, Jagielka, Davies, Lookman, Calvert-Lewin, Tosun
Date / Time: Sunday, November 11, 2018, 14:15 GMT; 9:15 EST; 7:45pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Kevin Friend
On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); NBCSN, Telemundo (USA); Star Sports Select HD2 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Hotstar (India); Fubo (affiliate link — USA only)
Be excellent to each other.