LIVE BLOG

90+4min: FULL TIME. Chelsea lose.

90+1min: Alonso hits the post. He’s been unbelievably unlucky all season.

89min: Chelsea win a corner; Pedro takes and Rüdiger should score, but heads wide instead from inside the six-yard box.

86min: Chelsea seem to have run out of ideas, if we ever had any, and Leicester are as comfortable as they’ve been all game.

81min: Fabregas gives a free kick away central, which Maddison takes. Albrighton’s eventual shot is saved well by Arrizabalaga.

78min: Azpi called for a foul down by the corner flag as Leicester waste some time. Maddison takes but Chelsea have it and come forward. A clear pull-back on Hazard is ignored, and Leicester clear.

75min: RLC finds Giroud over the top, he knocks it down for Hazard, but he’s crowded out before he could get his shot off.

74min: Fàbregas the final change for Chelsea, replacing Jorginho.

70min: Hazard’s corner goes to waste, and Leicester come forward through Chilwell. Kanté tracks back well to win it back. At the other end, Hazard wins a free kick just outside the corner of the penalty area.

69min: This time it’s Hazard losing the ball and only a tremendous header from Rüdiger prevents a Vardy goal. Jorginho then blocks a low shot from Ndidi, and eventually Kepa collects the ball to get Chelsea moving forward. Azpilicueta wins a corner.

66min: Albrighton fizzes in a cross that Kepa gets a hand to, but it’s spilled and Vardy almost gets another but for a desperate Azpilicueta block. But Chelsea are all over the place and Leicester threaten again. Kepa eventually catches a corner and Chelsea can settle a bit.

65min: Pedro gives the ball away, but wins it back from Vardy. Leicester growing in confidence however and it’s them asking the questions.

62min: Rüdiger called for a cheap foul for an arm across the face of Maddison out by the corner flag. Maddison takes the kick but it goes past the far post without a touch.

61min: Double change from Sarri as Giroud and Loftus-Cheek arrive on the scene. Willian and Kovačić make way.

59min: Great run from Hazard is found by Kovačić, Eden takes aim from a wide angle on the left, but Schmeichel makes an excellent save. Willian takes back-to-back corners, but no real danger.

56min: Hazard twists and turns and forces a long shot goalwards. Easily saved.

54min: Willian tries his luck from distance. Schmeichel holds despite a slight deflection. Chelsea responding well, but real chances are still missing.

51min: Goal, Leicester. Pedro turns the ball over in midfield and Leicester counter with purpose through Ricardo, who slides Vardy through and he finishes with some aplomb. 1-0, Leicester.

47min: David Luiz has a headed chance from a corner, but it goes over.

46min: Chelsea get the second-half underway, and there goes the ball down the left side, which Leicester win. No changes for either side at the half.

---

45+1min: Great work in the middle from Kovačić to keep Chelsea alive in the attack, but a move with Pedro and Willian breaks down, and Leicester get the half-time whistle.

44min: A couple blocked shots after good play from Azpi on the right, from Kovačić, then Alonso. Then Jorginho tries a half volley that draws a decent save from Schmeichel.

42min: From the Leicester corner, it’s Chelsea who break forward through Kanté and Hazard. Kanté finds Willian with a great pass, but his finish is hilariously poor and Schmeichel saves easily.

41min: Chelsea stop the counter, but the visitors hold onto the ball, eventually producing an absolute howitzer from Ndidi. Kepa gets a strong hand to it. The game’s first shot on target!

40min: Pedro finds Hazard over the top but he has absolutely no support and his eventual cutback is cut out and actually gets Leicester breaking forward.

36min: This time it’s Willian winning a free kick in a good position. Hazard crosses in and fades it towards the far post run to Alonso. His cutback is blocked for a corner. In comes the corner from Willian, then a cross from Alonso, then a catch from Schmeichel.

34min: Hazard digs out a cross from among four on the right, but it’s just over Willian’s head who would’ve had an empty net to aim at.

33min: Hazard hits the crossbar! Pedro’s through ball to Hazard is almost cut out by Maguire, but it goes through him and Hazard is suddenly in. He takes a touch and unleashes with the right foot, only to find the crossbar. Needed that one.

31min: Ndidi earns himself a yellow for hacking down Hazard from behind.

30min: Leicester have another corner after Rüdiger heads clear a Ricardo cross. Chelsea clear, but Hazard gives away a foul 25 yards out and central, which Leicester completely waste.

26min: Some slick passing on the right side creates a decent chance, but Pedro’s cutback is cut out. Azpilicueta jumps on the rebound and spanks it goalwards, but it’s well over.

22min: Hamza Choudhury fouls Hazard just outside the penalty area, on the left side. Willian curls it in, but Leicester clear once again.

21min: Albrighton blocks an Alonso cross. Hazard takes this corner, but can’t find David Luiz at the far post.

19min: Leicester win another corner, but it’s Chelsea who counter from it through Hazard and Willian. His cross-field ball comes too late however and Kanté pulls it back out for more possession versus Leicester, who flooded back really well.

17min: A break in the pattern as Kanté’s run breaks the lines and is almost found by David Luiz. Chelsea have a corner instead, which Willian takes, finding Pedro for the near post flick. David Luiz almost arrives on time at the far post to head that in, but only he himself ends up in the net as the ball goes wide.

15min: Chelsea up against the massed ranks of Leicester, don’t seem to have a clear idea of how to break it down. Kovačić has a go from range after a strong layoff from Pedro, but it’s well high.

14min: Kovačić wins Chelsea a corner. Willian takes, and hits it into the side netting on the near post.

11min: Chilwell and Vardy combine well on the left side but a combination of David Luiz, Rudiger, and Kepa clear the lines. Leicester have it back however and win a corner with a blocked cross from the right. Maddison takes, David Luiz heads clear, but Leicester recover and eventually work another cross, which Morgan heads wide. Not the most convincing sequence of defending there from Chelsea.

9min: Chelsea move the ball around in the final third but without getting into the penalty area. Azpilicueta’s cross is blocked and Leicester come forward. But Rüdiger intercepts well and gets Chelsea moving forward once again.

6min: Willian crosses in from the free kick, but Schmeichel punches clear.

5min: Pedro’s cross-field ball is cut out, but Alonso recovers. Chelsea having a bit of early trouble stringing passes together, but Jorginho then wins a free kick in a promising position by getting pushed over by Maddison.

2min: Hazard’s introduced to the game by Wes Morgan’s solid frame, then David Luiz nearly picks out Willian with a ball over the top.

KICK-OFF: Leicester get us underway in what is rare traditional Saturday afternoon 3pm kick-off. The two teams in oddly non-clashing colors...

---

Chelsea look for a third Premier League win on the bounce, and a fifth match in a row unbeaten in all competitions. Three points in this one guarantees at least top four, maybe even top three at Christmas, which isn’t bad.

As predicted and expected, Sarri has gone with Hazard at center forward once again.

Here we go.

---

Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Alonso, Rüdiger, David Luiz, Azpilicueta (c) | Kovačić, Jorginho, Kanté | Willian, Hazard, Pedro

Substitutes from: Caballero, Cahill, Zappacosta, Fàbregas, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Giroud

Leicester City starting lineup (4-3-3):
Schmeichel | Chilwell, Maguire, Morgan (c), Ricardo | Ndidi, Mendy, Choudhury | Maddison, Vardy, Albrighton

Substitutes from: Ward, Fuchs, Evans, Iborra, Gray, Okazaki, Iheanacho

---

Date / Time: Saturday, December 22, 2018, 15:00 GMT; 10am EST; 8:30pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee:

On TV: none (UK); CNBC (USA); Star Sports Select HD2 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: NBC Sports Live (USA); Hotstar (India); Chelsea TV (audio commentary only — int’l); Fubo TV (affiliate link — USA only)

---

Be excellent to each other.