LIVE BLOG

FULL TIME: Chelsea win!

90+3min: Another counter goes astray as Kante’s chased down before he can set Hazard in. But it’s all academic now.

90min: GOAL!!! CHELSEA!!!! HAZARD!!!!! After all the near-chances, it’s Hazard who makes sure of the points. Great look up by Barkley to find him with the cross. 2-0, CHELSEA!!

89min: Another near chance goes begging as Pedro’s cross is just out of his despairing slide at the far post.

86min: Hazard and Barkley and Emerson pass it around for a while, then pass through to Giroud, whose shot is saved by Fabianski from a tight angle. The resulting corner is cleared, but Chelsea maintain possession.

84min: Arrizabalaga gets a yellow for ... time-wasting? Well okay. Hudson-Odoi gets a hand as he’s replaced by Pedro.

82min: Azpilicueta gets a yellow for taking out Felipe Anderson out towards the touchline. West Ham work a great free kick from Snodgrass, which Arnautovic gets onto, but his goalwards header is blocked by a jumping Emerson. Chelsea survive the subsequent corner.

79min: Chelsea almost find the second as Hazard comes forward, laying it on to Hudson-Odoi, who slides the ball across the face of goal. Barkley is just a little too late at the far post and can’t quite get his foot around it.

75min: Hazard slices through half the team again, and earns a free-kick, which is hit into the wall by David Luiz. Hazard takes the resulting corner, which is cleared. Giroud replaces Higuain.

72min: Good first action for Barkley, first sending Hudson-Odoi through then almost working a great 1-2 with Jorginho to create a chance.

70min: Hazard bounds forward and finds Higuain out left. He swings in a deep cross towards Hudson-Odoi, who takes a great first touch, but is called offside before he has a chance to take the shot. Obiang replaces Noble for West Ham, while Barkley’s on for RLC, who gets a nice hug from Sarri on the touchline.

66min: From a West Ham corner, Hazard counters but doesn’t get support in time and is crowded out. The West Ham clearance stays in however and gives them a chance to counter against a vacant midfield. Rudiger with a crucial block on Lanzini, but the game’s far too open at the moment.

64min: Another strong run by RLC through the middle and fashions a great little through ball for Hazard or Hudson-Odoi. Unfortunately, they can’t decide who it’s for and get in each other’s way. Hazard’s resulting half-shot is easily held.

63min: Cresswell almost gets a goal out of nothing as he pounces on a Rudiger header to smack it goalwards. Fortunately the ball does not curl much and it flies wide of the far post.

61min: Hazard gets one in the unmentionables as his pass is blocked and then he blocks the clearance. He’s up to walk it off.

57min: The suddenly wide open game sees Hazard toy with defender before laying it off to RLC, who tries a curling effort, but it flies wide.

56min: Azpilicueta wins the ball high up, finds Higuain, who finds RLC bursting through the lines. A great first touch leads to a cheeky chip, but Fabianski is wise to it. At the other end, Felipe Anderson tries to curl one around Kepa, but the goalkeeper is down to hold on.

55min: West Ham come alive as Arnautovic lays it back to Lanzini; Kepa parries the first-time effort and Chelsea eventually clear for a corner, which David Luiz clears. Higuain’s pass is wayward on the counter however.

53min: Chelsea break through West Ham’s high press with some wonderful passing and movement, but a despairing lunge blocks Emerson’s cutback. Hazard takes the resulting corner, straight to Fabianski.

48min: RLC powers through the center, lays it off to Hazard, who finds a shot despite surrounded by three. He drags it just wide with his left.

46min: Kante pinches the ball high up, but Emerson runs out of room on the left as he tries to create a chance.

HALF-TIME: The rain has arrived. So has Robert Snodgrass for West Ham, replacing Chicharito. Snodgrass commits a foul within 30 seconds.

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45+1min: The referee blows for half-time. Chelsea much the better side so far, but only up the one goal.

43min: RLC combines with Hazard, who switches wide to Hudson-Odoi. He lays it back to Kante, who chips in a delicate cross to Higuain. The sriker takes a touch off the chest and swings a leg for the volley, but it’s blocked at the last second. Great play by Chelsea.

41min: Emerson cuts out a pass and Chelsea turn defense into attack in a second, with Hazard finding Hudson-Odoi with a great long through ball. CHO creates a shot for himself, which Fabianski parries over for a corner. The goalkeeper almost makes a mess of that at the front post, but collects at the second time of asking after a poor punch.

37min: West Ham win a corner as Emerson tackles, but it’s Chelsea who break from it through Kante and Hudson-Odoi. The latter’s pass finds Higuain wide, but his return ball is cut out.

35min: Hazard sits down three again and fashions a cross to Hudson-Odoi at the far post. He wants to lay it off to Higuain, but the striker slips, so CHO goes for the shot instead and that’s blocked.

29min: Hudson-Odoi nearly picks out Higuain from the right, but a sliding challenge half-clears the ball. Hazard picks it up and goes to work, but Arnautovic levels him with a shoulder-to-shoulder. No penalty.

26min: Higuain almost doubles the lead, but his tight-angle left-footed shot hits the post and bounces out.

24min: GOAL! HAZARD!! This is an incredible individiual effort, beating five on his way to goal. Words aren’t enough. 1-0, CHELSEA!

21min: Azpilicueta swings into action, plays a 1-2 with Kante and bursts into the area, but then seems to hesitate and his shot is blocked.

18min: David Luiz and Rudiger manage to go for the same and collide, with the latter’s elbow hitting the former in the side of the head. David Luiz carries on after a bit of a chat with the physios.

11min: Ogbonna goes into the book for hauling down Hazard after he had played a neat 1-2 with Higuain to burst past the backline. Emerson curls the resulting free kick over the bar.

10min: Decent start by Chelsea, but the battles are mostly being fought in midfield, with West Ham dropping into a deep block whenever Chelsea do advance, and looking to counter through Arnautovic on the wings.

KICK-OFF: West Ham get us underway in a great atmosphere.

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Chelsea are looking to win three league games in a row for the first time since August and move back into the top four, at least temporarily.

We’ve not had much success against the Hammers recently, last winning against them at the Bridge in 2016.

Surprisingly (for our cynical ways), Sarri makes just a couple changes from Wednesday’s winning lineup, which means that RLC & CHO both get a second consecutive Premier League start!

Here we go!

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Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Rudiger, Azpilicueta | Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kante | Hazard, Higuain, Hudson-Odoi

Substitutes from: Caballero, Barkley, Pedro, Willian, Giroud, Christensen, Kovacic

West Ham starting XI: Fabianski, Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Noble, Arnautovic, Lanzini, Anderson, Hernandez

Substitutes from: Adrian, Snodgrass, Obiang, Nasri, Diop, Perez, Masuaku

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Date / Time: Monday, April 9, 2019, 20:00 BST; 3pm EDT; 12:30am IST (next day)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Chris Kavanagh

On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); NBCSN, Universo (USA), Star Sports Select HD2 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Hotstar (India); Fubo (affiliate link — USA only)

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