LIVE BLOG

90+4min: FULL TIME. Chelsea win!

90+3min: Kovacic, Pulisic, and Willian combine to counter, hold the ball, and win a free kick, which runs down the time.

90+1min: Chelsea again having some difficulty in clearing the ball, but eventually Kepa catches a Willems cross.

90min: 3 minutes added on.

88min: Tomori carries on, but Chelsea struggling to clear as Newcastle pump balls into the area. Clark’s header over the bar gives Chelsea a goal kick eventually.

86min: Long ball into the area from Newcastle, looking for Carroll, Chelsea clear through a combination of Kepa’s fists and a bunch of heads, but Tomori stays down with an apparent head injury.

85min: Chelsea looking to keep things non-nervy, maintain possession. Gayle on for Saint-Maximin for the visitors.

83min: Christian Atsu on for Newcastle, Joelinton off.

82min: Saint-Maximin fools Alonso on the left and crosses, but Willems’ right-footed volley is high, wide, and not so handsome.

80min: Kovacic runs through half the team and plays in Pulisic. Goalkeeper comes, Pulisic puts it on a plate for Abraham, but Yedlin comes out of nowhere to slide in and block the empty net goal. Amazing.

79min: Pulisic plays wide to Azpilicueta, but his cutback is cleared for a throw.

76min: Abraham nicks the ball away and drives at goal, but his low shot is saved.

74min: GOALLLLL!!!! ALONSO!!!!! Pulisic drives into the area and lays it across the top of the box. Hudson-Odoi takes a touch and plays it on to Alonso, who’s all alone, takes aim, and hits a low powerful drive that beats the goalkeeper! 1-0, CHELSEA!!!

73min: Jorginho switches to Alonso making the run into the area. He heads back across, finding Willian, who pumps one at the goalkeeper from a tight angle, but he makes the save.

70min: Carroll on for Almiron for the visitors, with Joelinton pushing wide.

68min: Willian drives through midfield and plays in Hudson-Odoi. He cuts inside two but gets his shot partially blocked. It spins across the box to Pulisic, but it’s behind him and he can’t quite get a good shot away. It’s still on target as he falls, but Dúbravka makes a key save.

66min: Chelsea keeping up the pressure and Hudson-Odoi wins a corner. He takes it, Abraham gets to it first, but can’t keep his header down and on target.

64min: Teasing cross from Hudson-Odoi, after Willian runs right to left, but Abraham can’t quite his head to it. Pulisic replaces Mount in the meantime.

62min: Abraham wins a free kick in the right channel, good crossing position. Mount swings it in, Newcastle clear, Chelsea retain possession.

59min: Azpilicueta gets a cross blocked, then he’s turned by Saint-Maximin. Kovacic tracks back well to win the ball and stop the counter. Chelsea build and Willian and Jorginho combine to create a great crossing chance for Azpi. He plays in a low ball, but only Newcastle players at the far post.

57min: Chelsea win a foul and Mount swings in the free kick. Newcastle don’t quite clear and Tomori goes for a spectacular overhead kick. Wide.

56min: Great link-up and passing from Chelsea as Jorginho and Kovacic combine. He then plays wide to Azpi, who lays it on to Willian, but his cross is blocked for a corner. Willian himself takes the corner and Abraham wins the header but smacks it against the crossbar! Unlucky.

55min: Chelsea win another corner as CHO and Alonso combine. Newcastle clear.

54min: Chelsea with room in midfield for the first time all game, but Kovacic gets his pass all wrong.

53min: Jorginho finds Hudson-Odoi, who turns his man and drives the box. Cuts inside twice but can’t find his shot. When he does, it’s blocked for a corner. Mount takes and Zouma does get a head to it, but it doesn’t trouble the goalkeeper who collects easily.

52min: Alonso gets fouled twice as Chelsea try to play out. The referee finally gives the second one.

48min: Chelsea win the ball back, but then give the ball away. Saint-Maximin and Joelinton break, but Azpilicueta wins a goal kick.

47min: Abraham gets hit in the head again, but at least this time the referee calls it and gives Chelsea a free kick right on the right touchline, almost level with the top of the area. Mount swings it in, but no one attacks it and Schär can head clear easily.

46min: No changes for either side, as Chelsea restart the game.

---

HALF-TIME: Not great from Chelsea, with only a couple good chances, with Willian getting a wide open header all wrong and Mount hitting one straight at the goalkeeper. Hudson-Odoi has looked lively, while Barkley has picked up an injury.

45+2min: Newcastle stray offside on the free kick and that’s the last bit of action in this first-half.

45+1min: Tomori into the book for a sliding challenge on Almiron, whose poor first-touch made Tomori think there was a chance for him to get to it first. He didn’t, and got rightly booked despite his protests.

45min: Hudson-Odoi beats one and plays in Alonso, but he’s caught on his heels and can’t quite catch up to it. Goal kick for Newcastle, with 2 minutes added on.

43min: Clark into the book for hacking down Willian from behind on the right touchline. Willian seems to twist his leg in scissor tackle, but looks okay to carry on.

42min: Barkley has picked up an injury. Kovačić comes on.

41min: Alonso wins a corner. Mount takes again, S.Longstaff wins the flick at the near post, but it almost benefits Chelsea with the ball just missing Abraham at the far post. Mount takes the next corner, Alonso gets a head to it, but it’s a fairly weak effort that is caught easily.

39min: Barkley gets a round of applause from both sets of supporters after hitting the referee in the head with his first-time flick.

38min: Mount and M.Longstaff collide in the center, with the latter staying down briefly after a knock on his head. The referee eventually stops the game, but Longstaff looks okay to continue.

37min: Hudson-Odoi wins a corner, the first of the game. Mount takes, but it’s an easy catch for the goalkeeper.

33min: Hudson-Odoi showing quick feet on the left, but Newcastle get a foot in as he tries a 1-2 with Alonso. Chelsea recover the ball quickly and look to build again.

32min: Willian and Alonso conference over the ball; Willian takes and hits a head in the wall.

31min: Great dummy from Abraham to let the ball from Hudson-Odoi run to Mount, but he gets fouled on the turn before he can release either Abraham or Barkley making the run beyond. Free kick, 20-25 yards out, just left of center.

29min: Abraham gets a forearm into the back of the head from Lascelles, but the referee waves play on, rather incredibly.

25min: At the other end, Willian tries to catch the goalkeeper out at the near post, but misses short, after a nice ball from Hudson-Odoi found him free-ish on the right side again.

24min: Chelsea with a series of hilariously bad touches in defense gifts a chance for the visitors, but Joelinton’s far post header from the Saint-Maximin cross is well wide. Trouble all of our own making there.

22min: Alonso gets a yellow for hacking down Yedlin for the game’s first booking. Kepa catches the ensuing deep free kick.

21min: Abraham and Willian run into each other in the penalty area, Willian meeting Abraham’s elbow on a Jorginho cross. Both look okay to carry on.

19min: Chelsea finding angles, working the ball right-to-left, Azpi to Willian to Jorginho to CHO. Hudson-Odoi finds Mount near the penalty spot; he takes a touch, spins, and shoots, but it’s straight at the goalkeeper who gets his hands up to block.

17min: Great touch from Abraham puts Mount through, but he has to check back. He finds CHO, who beats two and chips a ball towards the far post again, but this time Newcastle clear.

16min: Hudson-Odoi gets a bit of space, drives at his man and fashions a cross to the far post. Willian’s there for a free header, but he gets it all wrong and doesn’t even hit the target! Chance, that.

15min: Abraham closes down Dúbravka very well as Lascelles tries to shepherd the ball back, blocks the clearance, but the ball spins wide instead of straight back. Almost lucky!

14min: Almiron has a go from range after the latest counter, but Tomori sticks a leg out and blocks.

13min: Chelsea try to probe, but can’t quite get inside the penalty area. Hudson-Odoi has a crossing chance, but hits the first defender.

11min: Saint-Maximin dribbles, counters, shrugs off two, finds Joelinton but his heel-chop is a bit strong and Zouma can slide in. Newcastle looking the more dangerous of the two sides so far.

9min: Joelinton holds up the ball well and releases Almiron, but he’s crowded out by a combination of Alonso and Zouma. But Chelsea don’t clear and Saint-Maximin has a sighter from 20 yards, which misses by some margin.

7min: Newcastle defending en masse, deep in their half. Tomori tries to unlock it with a big crossfield switch, but Willian hesitates and can’t reach it.

4min: Newcastle win a couple free kicks in quick succession in Chelsea’s half. Abraham heads clear in the area on the second.

2min: Barkley and Abraham link up for a nice 1-2, but the ball is smuggled off Barkley’s toes just as he’s about to shoot by Ciaran Clark. Chelsea win the ball back quickly.

1min: Chelsea win the ball in midfield a couple times already, Jorginho and Barkley once each, and set up shop in the Newcastle half.

KICK-OFF: Chelsea in all blue, white socks; Newcastle in black and white stripes. The visitors get us underway.

---

Welcome back to football!

Chelsea go for a third win in a row (and fifth in all competitions), but will have to do so without N’Golo Kanté. That always makes things a bit tougher at the very least.

Here we go!

---

Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Alonso, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta (c) | Barkley, Jorginho | Hudson-Odoi, Mount, Willian | Abraham

Substitutes from: Caballero, James, Guehi, Kovačić, Pulisic, Giroud, Batshuayi

Newcastle United starting lineup (5-4-1):
Dúbravka | Willems, Clark, Lascelles, Schär, Yedlin | Saint-Maximin, M.Longstaff, S.Longstaff, Almirón | Joelinton

Substitutes from: DArlow, Krafth, Dummett, Shelvey, Atsu, Carroll, Gayle

---

Date / Time: Saturday, October 19, 2019, 15:00 BST; 10am EDT; 7:30pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Andre Marriner

On TV: none (UK); none (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); Canal+ Sport 2, SuperSport4 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: NBC Gold (USA); HotStar (India); DStv Now (NGA)

---

Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!