LIVE BLOG

90min: FULL TIME. Chelsea win!

88min: GOOOOAL GIROUD! St Pats give the ball away. Giroud intercepts and he’s 1-v-2, but still creates his own shot and places it with unerring accuracy into the bottom far corner with his left foot. Fantastic understated finish. 4-0, CHELSEA!

86min: St Pats have a free kick out wide left, but Chelsea defend it easily.

81min: Christensen takes one for the team with a pullback on halfway, after Gilmour had lost the ball and Burns threatened to run through. Obvious yellow card even for a friendly.

77min: St Pats enjoying a spell of possession for the first time in the half, if not the game, but Chelsea comfortable at the back.

66min: GOAL!! GIROUD!! Chelsea come forward through Palmer. With little pressure on the ball, Kenedy crosses, Giroud is wide open and finishes with ease. 3-0, CHELSEA!

64min: Chelsea come alive with Palmer finding Pedro with a great through ball, but Murphy makes another excellent save. Kenedy then wins the ball high up and takes aim from 25 yards. Murphy makes another save.

62min: The game has lost some of its verve, with the hosts making several changes and Chelsea dropping their initial level of effort...

57min: Christensen with long ball to Giroud, who controls, swivels, and shoots weakly with his left.

55min: St Pats make the injury sub. Chelsea continue to press relentlessly. Much better second half effort so far than on Wednesday.

52min: Chelsea recover well after Gilmour’s cross-field ball is cut out. Zouma brings it out of defence and gets Chelsea going, with the ball eventually finding Giroud who lays it off to Pedro, but he rushes his effort. Giroud then almost finds Palmer, but St Pats defend well before the referee stops the game for a St Pats injury.

49min: Chelsea come again, this time with Alonso putting in a cross from the left finding Palmer, who takes a touch but his shot is poor and is blocked by the defender’s legs.

47min: Chelsea come out with intent, win the ball high up after Azpi had lost it. Palmer works an opening, but his shot from distance is caught. Chelsea then come again, Pedro laying it on for Giroud, but his cutback is again pounced on by the goalkeeper.

46min: Chelsea restart the game with a brand new eleven.

SECOND-HALF (4-2-3-1):
Cumming | Alonso, Zouma, Christensen, Azpilicueta (c) | Gilmour, Bakayoko | Kenedy, Palmer, Pedro | Giroud

---

45min: No added on time as the referee calls time on Chelsea’s absolutely dominant first-half. Chelsea should be up by many more than the 2-0 as Batshuayi hugs the goalkeeper. Fun half, ready for more.

44min: Mount and Tomori cover well as David Luiz gets a bit out of position to create a St Pats counter.

43min: Another great through ball from Kovacic puts in Tammy 1-v-1, but he opens his body up too much and the goalkeeper anticipates correctly and makes the great save.

42min: Batshuayi still looking for that goal as another effort from 18 yards flies high.

41min: Abraham’s fouled just outside the box. Central. Barkley takes, but it’s to the goalkeeper’s side and he parries for a corner. Mount takes, but St Pats clear, twice. Chelsea retain possession with ease however.

38min: Barkley and Bats with another good flicked link-up, but Barkley’s shot is blocked.

34min: Batshuayi with yet another shot, after a great ball forward from Barkley, draws a good save from the goalkeeper. Mount with the corner, St Pats clear, Batshuayi keeps it in.

31min: GOAL!!! EMERSON! Chelsea set up shop around St Pats penalty area. The ball eventually comes to Emerson, and his powerful strike is too much for a late-diving goalkeeper. 2-0, CHELSEA!

30min: Zappa tries to dribble out but loses the ball. St Pats take advantage with a decent long-range effort, but Caballero saves with ease. Zappacosta then gives the ball away again!

29min: Zappacosta, after initially giving the ball away, wins a free kick out wide, level with the penalty spot. Mount takes, but Barkley takes the ball off David Luiz and flicks it wide.

26min: Barkley’s turn to hit the woodwork, via the goalkeeper’s fingers. Chelsea won the ball back with more good work in the high press to create that shooting opportunity.

25min: Tammy with another great touch to get Batshuayi in on goal, but a last ditch tackle prevents a shot. Tammy gathers and tries to shape one towards the top corner with his left, just over.

23min: Chelsea win the ball back with the high press and Tammy gets on the ball to dance around in the area before finding a cross, which is cleared at the far post. Good feet for a big man, as they say.

20min: Tammy flicks on a pass, but it’s just out of the reach of Barkley and Batshuayi, with the defence in tatters.

19min: Kovacic with a great ball forward and wide for Emerson, who cuts it back to Michy, but his shot is blocked. Chelsea retain possession, but eventually a cross from Kova is a bit much and St Pats have a goal kick.

17min: St Pats threaten with a short corner, but Tammy’s back to eventually hoof it clear. St Pats work a cross from the throw in but Willy C’s there to pluck it out of the air. Chelsea build again, with little pressure in our own half.

14min: GOOOOOOAALLL MASON MOUNT! It all starts with another great turn from Michy, which frees him attacking midfield. He eventually sprays it wide, but Zappacosta’s cross is too big. Chelsea retain possession, and work it around, before finding Mount inside the area and he slots home with ease. Great through ball in by Kovacic, great finish by Mount. 1-0, CHELSEA!

12min: Chelsea again come through the middle, with Mount finding Batshuayi, who loses his man with a great turn but hits the crossbar with his shot! Unlucky.

11min: Jorginho long ball finds Tammy, who finds Emerson out wide. He gives it to Kovacic, who tries his best impression of Hazard before being crowded out. He lays it back to Jorginho, whose long shot is blocked. At the other end, Tomori makes a good interception as he covers a counter. But St Pats work a good cross which is just over the head of Clarke at the far post.

9min: David Luiz with a good first ball to midfield, flicked on towards Emerson, but his cross is blocked for a corner. Mount takes it, David Luiz flicks on at the near post, with Batshuayi just missing a tap in at the far.

6min: Jorginho putting in good work deep, winning the ball back and playing out through Tomori. His ball finds Mount, who hits it long for Barkley making a good run through the center. But he’s shouldered off the ball.

4min: Kovacic takes the next corner short, but Chelsea lose the ball. Jorginho wins it back with the high press. Kova then combines well with Batshuayi and Tammy, with the latter’s through ball for Bats just a bit heavy.

3min: Kovacic sprays the ball wide to Emerson and he shapes a decent cross, but Batshuayi’s beaten to it and it’s headed clear. Chelsea retain possession and Batshuayi’s on it again, takes on a couple and lets fly from 25 yards with the left foot, drawing a good save. Corner, from which Tomori’s header is deflected wide.

1min: Chelsea win the ball back early and pass it around in midfield. Indeed it is a 4-4-2 diamond.

KICK-OFF: Assistant coach Joe Edwards confirms that we will once against a full-XI change at half-time as the squad look for fitness, minutes, and miles on the legs. St Pats get us underway.

---

Preseason match number two is upon us, second of two in Dublin, this time with a slightly stronger squad against slightly weaker (probably, due to their other, actual competitive commitments) opposition.

But just as on Wednesday, the main purpose is to get closer to the levels of match fitness that will be needed once the season is actually here. It’s always nice to win, but it’s not required. Yet.

Here we go!

---

St Pats starting lineup (4-3-3):
Murphy | Bermingham, Kelly, Webster, Cleary | Markey, McCabe, Forrestor | Doona, Walker, Clarke

Substitutes from: B.Clarke, Toner, Desmond, Shaw, Nzingo, Madden, Burns

Chelsea starting lineup (4<4>2?):
Caballero | Emerson, David Luiz (c), Tomori, Zappacosta | Jorginho, Kovačić, Mount, Barkley | Batshuayi, Abraham

Substitutes from: Cumming, Alonso, Zouma, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Bakayoko, Gilmour, Giroud, Kenedy, Pedro, Palmer

---

Date / Time: Saturday, July 13, 2019, 14:00 BST; 9am EDT; 6:30pm IST
Venue: Richmond Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland

On TV: none — Chelsea TV is now online/app-only
Streaming online: Chelsea TV (£10.99 for the entire preseason on the website; not prorated) or the 5th Stand app (£1.99 per game). If you had a Chelsea TV subscription last season, the games should still be available to you for free. In the UK/Ireland, all 7 preseason games will be available on Chelsea TV. Globally, the rights for the games against Kawasaki Frontale, Barcelona, RB Salzburg, and Borussia Mönchengladbach might belong to other rights-holders and thus might not be available through Chelsea TV.

Chelsea made the stream free last time after initial problems prevented paying customers (who were later refunded) from watching it. There’s every chance they’ll have to do something similar again...

---

Sorry, no links to illegal / non-legal / grey-market streams in the comments.

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