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LIVE BLOG
90+5min: FULL TIME! Chelsea win!
90+4min: Willian smacks one against the stanchion, but Zouma’s down after a hard fall from an aerial challenge. Looks like his back/hip, so hopefully no permanent damage.
90+3min: Barkley forces a corner as Krul makes the save on a low effort. Barkley takes, but Norwich clear. Chelsea hold on to it briefly, then clear for Norwich to come again.
90min: Mount gets hammered on the touchline and stays down with injury. He receives a bit of treatment and is eventually replaced by Marcos Alonso. 5 minutes added on.
88min: Chelsea now just defending deep and looking to hold on.
84min: Godfrey fouls Mount, no call; Willian comes on for Pulisic.
80min: Kovacic leads a 4-v-4 break, but Pulisic’s cross is defended by a couple desperately stretched legs and the chance is gone. Norwich make a triple change in the wake of it.
79min: Chelsea have the ball in the back of the net through Zouma, but Giroud’s called for a foul on the goalkeeper. It wasn’t a foul, but goalkeepers always get that call.
78min: Pulisic bounds forward on the right, passes square to Giroud, who lets the ball run through to Barkley. But he passes on the first-time option and his eventual shot is blocked.
75min: Giroud on for Abraham, who had run out of steam after two great goals.
72min: Norwich have a corner after they’re allowed to run through midfield twice. Buendia takes, Godfrey wins the header, but the crossbar comes to Chelsea’s rescue. Christensen stays down after losing that aerial challenge.
69min: GOALLLL!!! TAMMMYYYY!! Pukki shoots, and for once, does not score. Kepa catches and quickly sets Chelsea on our way. Barkley and Kovacic bring it out, finding Abraham, who beats two, then beats the goalkeeper. 3-2, CHELSEA!
66min: After Atkinson does his best to mis-referee the game, Barkley takes a long shot, but Krul holds on without any issue.
61min: Kovacic tracks back brilliantly to stop a counter and Chelsea come again. Mount finds Emerson wide, with space, but he blasts straight into Krul, who holds on.
60min: Pulisic takes on his man, but only wins a corner. Mount takes, Krul punches clear.
58min: Chelsea camp out in Norwich’s half, but other than a weaving Barkley run, a couple hopeful crosses, and a blocked Azpilicueta shot into the crowd, pose little actual danger.
55min: A great flick from Abraham almost finds Pulisic, but Lewis does enough to get goal side and clear.
54min: Azpilicueta looks to be in, down the right flank, but he’s tackled from behind by Cantwell, apparently cleanly.
51min: Jorginho switches to Mount, who plays in Barkley. He can’t find an option, holds the ball, and lays it off for Kovacic, whose long-shot is blocked and Chelsea have to scramble to cover and clear.
49min: A Jorginho long shot is blocked for a corner after some good work from Kovacic. Mount takes the corner, but Azpilicueta’s flick at the near post goes well over.
47min: Chelsea force the midfield turnover and Jorginho feeds Pulisic behind the full back, but he blasts into the side-netting after delaying the decision to shoot or cross.
46min: Norwich get the game back underway. Barkley steals the ball and finds Mount for a long-shot early, but it goes wide of the near post.
HALF-TIME: ...and breathe.
45+2min: Abraham knocks down the long ball and Chelsea keep the ball, with Pulisic eventually laying off for Barkley to have a hit, but he blasts well over from just outside the D.
45min: Kepa quick off his line to clear the ball on a counter, with Pukki sprinting in.
44min: Barkley finds Pulisic over the top, his first touch is glorious, he turns well, but the shot is blocked. Chelsea keep the ball and Azpi plays himself in, trying to find Abraham, but a deflection takes the ball wide. Chelsea waste the corner.
43min: Stiepermann finally in the book after wiping out Jorginho in midfield with a sliding challenge.
42min: Chelsea continuing to keep up the pressure, with Norwich hammering clear twice in quick succession.
39min: Barkley drives forward, but then puts his foot on the ball. He eventually decides to take a shot, which is blocked.
36min: Chelsea back on the ball and creating chances, as an Azpilicueta cross is headed clear. Pulisic then tries a turn and cross, but can’t quite get a foot around it.
33min: Jorginho wipes out someone in midfield and Norwich have a free kick off the left corner of the penalty area. A nice little wrinkle sees Buendia blast one straight at Kepa, who’s parry is back into the mixer, but fortunately he smothers the follow-up effort.
31min: GOAL, NORWICH. Against the recent run of play, Buendia feeds Pukki, who’s kept on by Christensen. He finishes from a tight angle. 2-2.
29min: Chelsea win the ball high up again, and it’s 3-v-3. Pulisic takes out two and finds Jorginho, but he opts to take an extra touch and that gives the defender time to block the shot. Big chance, wasted.
27min: Jorginho wins a free kick outside the right corner of the penalty area. But Chelsea overthink the whole piece and Emerson’s cross is not attacked by anybody.
25min: Tim Krul pulls off an amazing save as Emerson’s deep cross is headed towards goal by Christensen, who had stayed up after a corner. Mount’s follow-up corner bounces through the area.
22min: Emerson tries a long-range effort, but it’s blocked.
17min: GOALLLLLLL MOUNT!!! Chelsea win the ball high up and turn immediately to attack, Pulisic finding Mount, who wriggles out from among defenders and blasts beyond Krul. 2-1, CHELSEA!!
16min: Kovačić dragged back by Stiepermann quite blatantly in midfield, yet no yellow. Mount takes the kick, which is cleared for a corner. Mount takes that, too, but Norwich head clear.
14min: Chelsea settle down on the ball at long last, and some intricate passing almost leads to a chance, but Norwich clear just ahead of Barkley making a late run.
6min: GOAL, NORWICH. The home side respond instantly as Chelsea can’t keep the ball. Pukki to Cantwell, 1-1.
3min: GOOOOALLLL TAMMMMYYY!! Ball is switched to Mount, who’s slotted in for Pedro on the right, he lays it on for Azpi who had sprinted up, his cross finds Abraham, who finishes with aplomb first-time. 1-0, CHELSEA!!
KICK-OFF: Chelsea, in all white with blue socks, get the ball rolling. Norwich in their traditional yellow and green.
WARM-UPS: Pedro has picked up a hamstring injury during the shooting drill and has been replaced by Ross Barkley in the starting lineup.
Matchday 3 of the 2019-20 Premier League, and match number 4 of the Frank Lampard era, and Chelsea are seeking a first win.
It’s not must win because it’s still just August, but it sure would be nice.
Looks like Kanté misses out with the ankle injury. Batshuayi gets a spot on the bench alongside Giroud. Chelsea official Twitter has us in a 4-3-3 but it could just as easily be a 4-2-3-1 depending on where Mount plays.
Here we go!
Norwich City starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Krul | Lewis, Godfrey, Hanley (c), Aarons | Leitner, Trybull | Cantwell, Stiepermann, Buendia | Pukki
Substitutes from: Fährmann, Byram, Klose, McLean, Tettey, Vrančić, Srbeny
Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3?):
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, Zouma, Christensen, Azpilicueta (c) | Barkley, Jorginho, Kovačić | Pulisic, Abraham, Mount
Substitutes from: Caballero, Tomori, Alonso, Barkley, Willian, Giroud, Batshuayi
Date / Time: Saturday, August 24, 2019, 12:30 BST; 7:30am EDT; 5pm IST
Venue: Carrow Road, Norwich, England
Referee: Martin Atkinson
On TV: BT Sport 1 (UK); NBCSN (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: BT Sport Live (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Hotstar (India)
Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!