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LIVE BLOG
90+3min: FULL TIME! Chelsea win!
90min: Morata at the end of Chelsea’s latest attack, but his shot is blocked excellently for a corner.
83min: Hazard drives forward from the half-way line again, and is only stopped by a strong foul just outside the area. Hazard takes the free-kick early to try to surprise the goalkeeper, but it hits the wall.
80min: A deep cross finds Depoitre but his header is harmless and Kepa collects and quickly launches an attack. Hazard carries it upfield, beats a few and finds Pedro all alone on the right side. He makes no mistake as he chips Hamer. Moses then comes on to replace him. 3-0 CHELSEA!
77min: Nice touch from Morata but he’s all alone up front and can’t find a friendly foot.
76min: Hazard comes on for his 301st Chelsea appearance, replacing Willian.
75min: Huddersfield continue to build the pressure. An unmarked Depoitre, who scored in both games last season, fires one well over.
72min: Huddersfield making changes and pushing forward. Azpilicueta with a good block on a shot from top of the box.
68min: Loftus-Cheek is Sarri’s first sub, replacing Barkley. David Luiz then collects Chelsea’s first yellow for stopping a counter.
65min: Morata wins a free kick after holding up the ball 3-v-1. Alonso takes it as usual, but it doesn’t quite curl as much as he’d want and flies harmless over.
62min: A bit of slick passing from Chelsea finds Willian on the left. He cuts inside 1-v-1, takes the shot, but is deflected over. Willian’s corner cleared this time.
57min: Willian takes a corner and Rüdiger’s header draws an excellent save from Hamer. Willian takes the next corner and this time Alonso hits the crossbar with an overhead kick! So close!
55min: Pedro in acres of space on the right to pick out a cross; just a bit too far ahead of Morata who can’t quite reach it.
53min: Pedro has a run but doesn’t look to his right to spot Kanté in acres of space.
52min: Alonso steams up the left and lays it off to Willian. He drives the baseline but his low cross is intercepted just before it could reach Morata.
50min: More incisive early on in this half from Chelsea. Barkely bulldozes his way into the box but has to check back. Kanté has a good cross. A Pedro combination almost works out.
48min: High pressure from Morata forces a poor clearance from Hamer. At least the Chelsea striker is involved in that sense!
46min: Chelsea keeping the ball in midfield as the second half begins.
HALF-TIME: So far so good, even if Chelsea aren’t exactly fluent in Sarrismo. Good passing, could be far more incisive. Two shots on target, two goals.
45+1min: Huddersfield try to get one back, but Kepa rises highest in his box and makes a strong catch as the referee blows for half-time.
44min: Tremendous passing finds Alonso in the box, and he’s fouled by Schindler just as he’s shaping to take the shot by. Jorginho makes no mistakes from the spot. 2-0 CHELSEA!
42min: Strong response from the hosts to Chelsea taking the lead, but Chelsea dealing with it fairly comfortably. Not managing much possession however.
37min: Huddersfield hit the post from a corner, near post flick on finding a second header at the far post, but it hits the upright and bounces just out. Chelsea survive!
34min: Pedro runs through the middle to create some threat, finally, and finds Willian on the left. He beats one man and pumps a fast cross across the box, just eluding Morata’s head. But Kanté collects at the far post and has a terrible-looking shot that bounces over the goalkeeper and IN! 1-0, CHELSEA!
32min: First Chelsea corner, caught by Hamer.
31min: Azpilicueta loses the ball and Huddersfield swing in a dangerous cross with Alonso out-numbere 2-v-1. Mounie’s skimmed header takes the ball off his own teammate’s foot and Chelsea survive.
29min: More good pressing from the home side. Chelsea dropping deeper and deeper.
27min: Willian counter is nullified by an amazing sliding tackle from Kongolo.
26min: Long shot flies well high from Huddersfield, but home crowd’s getting into it, with a couple physical tussles at both ends of the pitch.
22min: Tremendous threaded ball by David Luiz to Barkley, but his first touch lets him down and Huddersfield win it back.
19min: Kepa’s clearance a bit low and is intercepted, but David Luiz cuts out the final pass on the subsequent attack. Terriers then win it back and have a shot but Kepa saves easily.
15min: Chelsea keeping the ball expertly and winning it back quickly. No real threat on the penalty box however.
12min: Chelsea play through Huddersfield’s pressure quite nicely; Willian breaks upfield finds Morata with a throughball, but his first touch goes backwards and Huddersfield clear. At the other end, Kepa is quick off his line to sweep up behind the high line.
10min: Chelsea keep the ball for 2 minutes, but going nowhere. Eventually Willian goes on a run and Alonso has a cross; easy catch for goalkeeper. Sarri going nuts on the sideline motioning for faster, more vertical passing.
7min: Huddersfield pressing with all their might, Chelsea appear to have it under control, but then they don’t and the home side establishes possession.
4min: Good pressure by Pedro and Azpilicueta on Hamer’s kick-out sets up Morata, who puts his left-footed effort wide. Turns out to have been offside anyway.
KICK-OFF: Chelsea get us under way, with a long ball up the left flank that goes out for a goal kick.
Welcome back to the Premier League. Season 2018-19 is now underway, and this is match number one of 38.
What drama, what fun, what narratives lie ahead of us?
One can only imagine.
And. Here. We. Go.
Huddersfield Town starting XI:
Hamer | Kongolo, Hogg, Billing, Mooy, Lowe, Pritchard, Mounie, Zanka, Schindler, Hadergjonaj
Substitutes from: Lossl, Smith, Diakhaby, Ramadan, Van la Parra, Depoitre, Stankovic
Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Alonso, David Luiz, Rüdiger, Azpilicueta | Barkley, Jorginho, Kanté | Willian, Morata, Pedro
Substitutes from: Caballero, Christensen, Zappacosta, Moses, Loftus-Cheek, Hazard, Giroud
Date / Time: Saturday, August 11, 2018, 15:00 BST; 10am EDT; 7:30pm IST
Venue: John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield, England
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
On TV: none (UK); NBCSN, NBC Universo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Hotstar (India); talkSport 2 (UK radio); Chelsea TV (audio commentary only; int’l)
I had hope to have updated community guidelines rolled out in time for this match, but that obviously didn’t happen thanks to deadline day madness. But soon!
Until then, no links to illegal streams. And be excellent to each other.