LIVE BLOG

90+4min: FULL TIME! Chelsea win!

90+3min: Chelsea hold on to the ball well, but Kepa gives the ball away, but makes a tremendous save on Gundogan.

90min: 4 minutes added on. BT Sport name David Luiz the Man of the Match.

89min: City have a corner, but Kanté and others defend well. Hazard for Giroud is the final defensive change for Chelsea.

87min: David Luiz with a great play on Jesus to win the goal kick from Sterling’s cross.

86min: Azpi and Pedro combine on the right and the cross finds Barkley all alone for a header, but he mistimes it by a second and it goes wide. What a chance!

84min: It’s all rearguard action now for Chelsea, as City put on Foden for Mahrez.

80min: RLC goes on a run, but is eventually stopped by Fernandinho on the third time asking. Pedro gets a yellow for kicking the ball away.

78min: GOALLLL!!!! Hazard takes the corner and David Luiz floats his header over Ederson into the far corner! 2-0, CHELSEA!!

76min: Ruben straight it into, but not quite up to the speed of the game yet. Wins a throw by the corner flag however. Chelsea eventually work a cross and Barkley’s long shot is deflected wide for a corner.

75min: Willian makes way for Loftus-Cheek to add more strength into the side. RLC takes his place on the right wing, as he did against Burnley.

74min: Willian takes the free kick but doesn’t make it past the first man. Kanté then almost loses the ball in a terrible position, but wins the 50-50 against Sterling.

73min: Azpilicueta wins the ball ahead of Sterling, then runs forward and feeds Hazard, who wins the foul off of Laporte for Chelsea to take a breather.

72min: Azpilicueta vs. Sterling continues to be an amazing battle. Sterling wins the corner. City hold possession.

71min: Alonso comes forward and finds Hazard, but his first-time through ball for Willian is a too long and City have a goal kick.

69min: Jesus is offside, but is not given, and City instead win a corner. Chelsea block Gundogan’s shot and Azpilicueta clears.

67min: Hazard has the ball in a decent position, but Stones tackles cleanly. David Silva has picked up a knock for City (hamstring?) and Ilkay Gundogan is on his stead. Fernandinho takes the captain’s armband for the visitors.

65min: Rüdiger and Barkley with good defensive clearances. Willian then runs down the left, but Chelsea lose it through Barkley. Probably a foul, but not given. Chelsea win it back with Alonso and Jorginho and settle.

64min: Jorginho earns a yellow for a flashpoint in the middle of the pitch following a strong challenge on Mahrez. Kovačić appears to have picked up a thigh knock and is replaced by injury-returnee Ross Barkley.

63min: Pedro and Willian ping the ball back and forth before the former takes aim from 20 yards. But his effort is not up to standard and Ederson saves easily.

62min: A cross from Sterling flies harmlessly wide and across the face of Kepa’s goal.

59min: Chelsea hold on to the ball for a minute and find Azpilicueta in space out wide, but his cross is awful and City have the ball back.

57min: Walker blasts in the free kick but Kepa’s equal to it. City have two more corners; David Luiz then Alonso clear. City come again and Pedro’s back to mop up. Hazard eventually wins a foul to let Chelsea out.

56min: City have another corner after Hazard loses the ball in the middle, but Willian once again clears at the near post. Then David Luiz heads clear, but Hazard handles the ball and City have a free kick in prime shooting position.

54min: Willian clears Silva’s corner at the near post for another corner. Silva’s second try is better, but David Luiz is there to take care of business. Chelsea cannot hold on to the ball however.

53min: City take off Sané as they look to get the upper hand once again. Gabriel Jesus, an actual center forward enters the fray. Azpi gives a foul away and Silva can cross in a free kick. Rüdiger, then David Luiz clear, but City have a corner.

52min: And then Chelsea come forward again, this time Kanté finding Willian, but his low daisy-cutter is weak and straight at Ederson. Poor effort.

51min: A great ball from Azpilicueta finds Hazard running the channel. His backheel for Kanté is well time, and his low cutback finds Pedro’s feet. But his touch/shot is poor and it goes well wide.

50min: Chelsea flow forward again, Hazard wins the foul, then Willian draws one as well.

49min: Willian takes it and draws a great save from Ederson. Pedro tries to overhead kick the rebound back in, but it goes over and he’s offside anyway.

47min: Pedro, Azpi, and Rüdiger play a neat triangle to keep the ball, but Chelsea are going nowhere fast. Then Chelsea turn upfield starting with Kepa and a neat turn from Kanté and Kovačić. Willian’s taken out by Fernandinho in a prime shooting position.

46min: Chelsea restart the match with the typical long-ball from kick-off but it’s mis-hit badly and City clear easily. Chelsea have it back however.

HALF-TIME: Rather unbelievably, Chelsea have the lead at the half. Now to hold on to it...

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45+2min: HALF-TIME! Chelsea lead, against the odds!

45min: GOAL!!!! David Luiz pumps a long ball towards Pedro, who controls and switches to Willian, whose first touch takes him wide. He checks back and crosses, City half-clear and Alonso finds Hazard, who holds it up then squares a perfect ball for a late runner. And that late runner is none other than Kanté, who slams it into the roof of the net! 1-0, CHELSEA!!!

41min: Kanté wins the ball high up and feeds Jorginho, who pumps one towards Hazard. His chest control is a bit long and Walker clears. A better pass from Jorginho required there, twice in quick succession in fact (first one over the top).

40min: Pedro fouls Delph for about the third time today already.

38min: Sterling wins a corner for City, which Mahrez takes short and Kanté clears. City have it back, in their own half.

35min: David Luiz and Sterling come together as the former tries to clear the ball and the latter jumps in the air. David Luiz stays down for a bit of treatment on his back/kidney.

34min: Alonso, after a series of giveaways launches a long ball towards Willian; he’s almost in, but City clear and get lucky with a deflection off Willian.

32min: Sterling loses the ball then fouls Willian. Chelsea have the ball in midfield and try a long-ball forward for Pedro. Unsurprisingly, it’s unsuccessful. Chelsea have it back until they don’t and City stream forward. Azpilicueta and Kepa defend desperately against Sane, then Kanté clears. Sterling then beats Alonso and lays on a perfect ball for Sané; Azpi blocks heroically. Chelsea clear the corner.

30min: Alonso, Kovačić, and Willian show a flash of vertical tiki-take, but Willian’s pass back is inaccurate and City clear.

29min: Chelsea win the ball back, but two close down Kanté and win the ball back for City. Rinse, repeat.

28min: City have a corner after Azpi defends against Sane and Rüdiger clears. But City have it back.

26min: Chelsea managing to clear City’s attacks, but posing no danger of their own.

24min: Chelsea come forward through Willian and Hazard, but Willian slows it down and Chelsea pose no danger other than winning a couple throw-ins.

23min: Sterling trips over the ball and Alonso gets called for the foul just outside the corner of the penalty area. D.Silva swings it in, but it’s over everyone’s head and goes out for a goal kick. Meanwhile, Fernandinho’s receiving some treatment on the touchline and a few subs go to warm up.

20min: It’s all City with Chelsea chasing shadows, both in high press and in deep defending. David Luiz steps up to try to change the flow, but his touch is unlucky and City have it back. DL commits the tactical foul to let him recover into position.

18min: City hold possession for a while, then Chelsea get a turn, but Kanté and Pedro combine to give it away.

16min: Fernandinho wins the ball, then loses the ball, and it gets super scrappy in the middle before Azpilicueta thumps it clear.

14min: Kanté’s lose touch almost gifts City a great chance, but the little guy recovers and wins a throw. City win the ball from Hazard however and look to be in, but David Luiz stays strong against Sané and wins the free kick to let Chelsea out.

12min: Chelsea struggling with City’s high press. City dealing with Chelsea’s well enough.

10min: Alonso deflects a Walker cross for a corner. City go short but Kepa eventually collects. Chelsea try to play out, but Pedro’s first-time ball for Hazard is a bit long and City have possession back.

9min: Fernandinho tackles Jorginho and City stream forward, but Sterling’s finish is poor and Kepa saves easily. Chelsea then give it away, but David Luiz is alert to the danger to poke it clear. City come again.

7min: Hazard finally gets on the ball and dances around, drawing a foul from Delph. Willian swings in the free kick, but City clear easily.

5min: Chelsea press high and Ederson kicks it out of bounds. Possession to the home team, but we can’t hold it.

3min: Chelsea pressing well enough, but Pedro gives the foul away. Ball in midfield.

KICK-OFF: And we’re underway. Chelsea in blue, City in light blue; they get us underway with an attack down the right. Hazard starts as the central of the front three.

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Well, this is it.

Big bad Manchester City are in town. Seemingly unbeatable Manchester City are in town. Chelsea have lost two of three, and seem to trending the other way. Chelsea have done the unexpected and pulled off many famous results in such circumstances, but this squad, with these specific circumstances ... we’ll see.

Nine times out of ten, we lose. But we only have to win this one time.

Sarri makes one big change: all smalls up front! Been waiting for this tactical wrinkle, and now it’s here.

Here we go.

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

Substitutes from: Caballero, Christensen, Emerson, Fàbregas, Loftus-Cheek, Barkley, Giroud

Manchester City starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Ederson | Delph, Laporte, Stones, Walker | D.Silva (c), Fernandinho, B.Silva | Sané, Sterling, Mahrez

Substitutes from: Muric, Danilo, Kompany, Gundogan, Otamendi, Jesus, Foden

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Date / Time: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 17:30 GMT; 12:30pm EST; 11pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Michael Oliver

On TV: BT Sport 1 (UK); NBC (USA); Star Sports HD1 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: BT Sport Live (UK); NBC Sports Live (USA); Hotstar (India); Fubo TV (affiliate link — USA only)

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Be excellent to each other.