LIVE BLOG

94min: FULL TIME! A massive scramble in front of the Chelsea goal, but we hang on. Chelsea win!

93min: Tremendous Boruc save denies Giroud.

90min: Chelsea holding steady as Bournemouth gamble forward. Kepa holds well Cook’s rasper. 4 minutes added on.

83min: GOAL!!! Finally, the breakthrough! Pedro drives into the box, loses the ball, but Hazard finds the bouncing ball and bundles it home. 1-0, CHELSEA!

81min: Christensen seems to have gotten hurt on that previous incident unfortunately, so David Luiz comes on as Chelsea’s final sub.

79min: Momentary hesitation from Kepa almost gets Wilson in on the Brooks through ball, but Christensen’s alive to the danger and clears while winning the foul as well.

77min: Hazard combines with RLC, but his cutback just misses Giroud. Chelsea come forward again with Hazard, but his long-range shot is stopped by Boruc in a routine effort.

75min: Back-n-forth as Brooks launches Wilson into attack and he beats Azpi, but Chelsea recover and clear. Blues look to build again.

74min: Chelsea struggling to clear their lines suddenly and only a block from Azpilicueta prevents Wilson’s shot from getting through on goal. Chelsea just about deal with the subsequent corner.

72min: Chelsea continuing to press, but settle for another long shot and this time it’s Hazard shooting high and wide.

68min: Chelsea beat the press and pour forward with Hazard and Pedro, but only a long-shot from Fabregas follows, which is well over the bar.

65min: Bournemouth win a midfield tussle (despite RLC’s best efforts) after Hazard’s shot is blocked, but run out of options. Chelsea come forward again but are stopped by a tugback on Hazard, for which Simpson gets a yellow.

63min: Bournemouth growing in confidence, put on Fraser for Stanislas.

60min: Fabregas earns himself a yellow for putting his hands on Stanislas, who goes down. Barkley makes way for Hazard as RLC thus changes position again, now on the right side of midfield.

59min: Giroud gives the ball away and Wilson shrugs off Rudiger (!), but Pedro’s back again to stop the attack.

56min: Stanislas earns the game’s first yellow for pulling back Christensen. Previously Pedro tracked back really well to stop a counter.

55min: Pedro on for Willian in the game’s first change. RLC now operating on the left.

54min: RLC combines with Azpilicueta, then beats two with some quick feet, then unleashes a shot that just grazes the outside the post. Great skill, so close!

52min: Wilson shrugs off Fabregas and runs at Chelsea, then runs out of ideas. At the other end, RLC and Giroud combine for a shot for the former (blocked), then Fabregas finds RLC with a long-ball over the top but he can’t quite control and the chance is gone.

50min: Emerson gives the ball away in a bad position, but Bournemouth can’t create anything dangerous. Chelsea break the other way and RLC looks to release Willian with a glorious cross-field ball and it’s almost inch-perfect except for the toe of a despairing defender.

48min: A series of rather poor long-range efforts from Chelsea, including a Kovacic air-shot and a Barkley scuffer.

46min: Back underway, no changes from either side.

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HALF-TIME: Chelsea have dominated the game, but haven’t been able to beat Boruc. Bournemouth have had a few dangerous counters as well, but we remain scoreless.

45min: RLC and Giroud get into a tangle and Bournemouth break. Giroud tracks back well on the left but is called for a mystery foul. Bournemouth swing in the free kick, which Kepa punches then Rudiger heads clear. And then the whistle goes for half time.

43min: Fabregas long ball finds RLC, who toys with Rico before laying it off to Azpilicueta. His cross is just nicked off Giroud’s double-marked head.

42min: Barkley’s effort from 20 yards out almost reaches the roof of the Shed.

40min: Willian tries another shot, this time it’s blocked by a defender’s back. The rebound falls awkwardly for Giroud’s head and he gets his effort on target but it’s weak and saved easily.

37min: Christensen dives in as Ibe skips past easily and creates a chance that Kepa saves well. Chelsea then defend the corner well and look to build again.

33min: Ake finds the increasingly dangerous Brooks with a through ball, but Christensen steps across well and wins the goal kick.

31min: RLC and Fabregas combine well on the right and Ruben finds Willian running through the center with an excellent ball. Willian’s in 1-v-1 but his touch is just a bit too long and Boruc closes down and blocks the chipped effort. Willian has the ball back wide but instead of going for goal, crosses to no one. What a chance.

28min: Fabregas and Kovacic are beaten by Brooks in midfield who gets Bournemouth moving then tries to finish off the chance, but his shot hits a teammate and goes wide.

26min: Emerson cuts out a through ball after he played everyone onside. Bit of a let-off for him there.

25min: Another Kovacic through ball is just a bit too long and Bournemouth can clear.

23min: Cherries turn possession into a shot as Brooks turns Fabregas and tests Kepa, but he’s equal to it. Kepa’s then blocked off by Wilson as he tries to launch a Chelsea counter, but Taylor keeps the cards in his pocket.

22min: Ake pings a ball over the Chelsea defense for Wilson to chase, but Kepa’s off his line to hack clear. Willian then gives away a foul in midfield and Bournemouth have a bit of possession.

21min: RLC fashions an awkward chance for Fabregas, but his shot is blocked.

20min: Route 1 this time for Giroud who controls and finds Willian. Willian returns the ball and Giroud tries a left-footed effort from a wide angle, which Boruc saves well.

19min: More passes follow more passes before Kovacic plays a glorious through ball for Giroud but it’s just a bit too long and Boruc gets to it first.

16min: Chelsea build again and eventually Emerson gets on the ball, beats his man, and crosses for Giroud, but he can’t get his footing right. Bournemouth break the other way after Rudiger gets caught upfield, but Wilson’s effort flutters wide of the post.

14min: Chelsea string together 30-40 passes, but Barkley eventually loses the ball and Bournemouth counter. Kepa’s alert to the danger and Chelsea break the other way. Giroud breaks the offside trap and crosses for Willian, but his shot on the turn is blocked. Chelsea recover and keep the ball.

11min: Chelsea build on the left with Emerson and Willian, who switches to Kovacic and he finds Loftus-Cheek. RLC tries a cross to the far post for Willian, but it’s just a bit too long.

10min: Good pressure and pressing as Chelsea keep the ball for a couple minutes. Azpilicueta crosses for Giroud but it’s too close to Boruc who catches easily.

8min: Willian loses the ball cheaply in midfield but Christensen’s on hand to cut out the danger.

7min: Willian cuts inside from the left, then cuts inside again, then fizzes in a daisy-cutter right at Boruc, who holds safely. At the other end, Kepa controls a ball with his head to get Chelsea moving forward. RLC runs half the length of the pitch, finds Barkley who takes aim from 25 yards and draws an excellent save from Boruc. Willian’s corner is defended well enough and Azpilicueta’s long shot is an easy save.

5min: Kepa off his line quickly to collect a through ball intended for future Chelsea striker Callum Wilson.

4min: Chelsea testing the left side of the Cherries’ defence

2min: An early couple corners from Willian results in a decent chance as Boruc just about claws away Giroud’s heel flick at the near post. Willian’s third corner in succession flies over everyone’s head.

KICK-OFF: The light show and the pyrotechnics and the handshakes are done, and Wembley beckons. Chelsea get us underway, but the traditional long-ball down the left is blocked by the Cherries, so Chelsea build from the back instead.

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Welcome to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals where Chelsea take on AFC Bournemouth in a rematch of this exact save fixture from last season. Chelsea won 2-1 that day on a late-late goal from Alvaro Morata, but whatever happens in this game will be seen by far fewer people as the broadcast has to compete with a North London derby happening in the other quarterfinal today.

We’ll obviously be watching this instead. So stay tuned for a live blog and hopefully some highlights as well as Sarri rotates about half the team as has been the bare minimum for each and every midweek match so far.

Here we go!

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Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, Rudiger, Christensen, Azpilicueta (c) | Barkley, Fabregas, Kovacic | Willian, Giroud, Loftus-Cheek

Substitutes from: Caballero, Zappacosta, David Luiz, Kante, Hazard, Pedro, Hudson-Odoi

AFC Bournemouth starting lineup (3-5-2):
Boruc | Daniels, Simpson, S.Cook (c) | Rico, Ake, Brooks, Stanislas, Ibe | Mousset, Wilson

Substitutes from: Travers, Mings, Surman, Pugh, Fraser, King, Defoe

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Date / Time: Wednesday, December 19, 2018, 19:45 GMT; 2:45pm EST; 1:15am IST (next day)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Anthony Taylor

On TV: none (UK); none (USA); MTV (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: ESPN+ (USA); ChelseaTV (audio commentary only; int’l)

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Be excellent to each other.