LIVE BLOG

FULL TIME: Chelsea win!

90min: 2 minutes added on, but this game’s been over for a long while now.

87min: Rüdiger called for a foul on Wood, 20-25 yards out, central. McNeil lines it up, and gets it all wrong as he hits it well over the crossbar.

86min: Chelsea waste another attack.

82min: Abraham, still working hard, wins a corner for Chelsea. Hudson-Odoi plays it to James, who rolls it to Barkley, but he doesn’t shoot. Eventually he plays wide to Mount, who horribly slices across the ball as he tries to cross. He can afford to smile about that at 3-0.

79min: Pope with another huge save, this time from Mount, after yet another excellent cross from the right (Hudson-Odoi this time?)

75min: More great passing up the right flank and Hudson-Odoi drives the box before laying the ball off to James for a shot from the edge of the area. It’s blocked but Chelsea find Willian wide left, who takes aim. Pope saves for a corner, which Chelsea waste by playing a very bad ball to Barkley at the edge of the area.

73min: The game’s first change is Vydra for Hendrick as Burnley look for a consolation goal.

71min: CHO with a glorious first-time ball out wide to James, who swings in a great cross that just misses Abraham’s outstretched leg. Willian arrives on the far post, but can’t quite wrap his foot around it.

70min: Barkley switches wide right to Hudson-Odoi and he stays strong to get past Taylor, but the cross is too close to the goalkeeper who catches.

68min: Abraham misses another easy chance as Mount finds him with an in-swinging cross from the left. But the big man gets his header all wrong and beats the turf in frustration.

66min: James defends excellently 1-v-1 on McNeil, blocking an eventual cross for a corner. Burnley go short, then cross from deep, creating a big scramble, which Chelsea struggle to clear. Someone eventually strays offside however and Chelsea survive.

64min: Pope makes a tremendous point blank save on Abraham to keep the score at 3-0. Mount and Hudson-Odoi combined excellently to create that chance.

62min: Lennon wins a foul off Mount in the right channel. Same position, opposite flank as Burnley’s previous two dangerous set pieces. Rüdiger gets a head to Westwood’s delivery this time, and Hudson-Odoi completes the clearance.

57min: Willian tries to cut inside from the left to shoot, but is bodied over by Lennon in a textbook blocking foul. No call this time. At the other end, Rüdiger steps in strongly to prevent a shooting chance.

54min: Westwood into the book for clipping Mount’s heels from behind, with no attempt to play the ball whatsoever.

53min: CHO gives the ball away but recovers to help James stop McNeil and the Burnley threat down that flank.

51min: VAR review the goal briefly for a potential touch from Abraham, which would’ve put CHO offside. But there’s no obvious touch from the striker, so the goal stands.

49min: GOAL!!!! HUDSON-ODOI! Willian’s cutback finds Mount, who overcomplicates things with Abraham and waste the chance. But Chelsea retain the ball and eventually the cross comes in from Azpilicueta, Abraham misses his header but Hudson-Odoi’s there for an easy finish at the far post for his first Premier League goal. 3-0, CHELSEA!!

46min: Chelsea get us back underway. No changes for either side.

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HALF-TIME: Chelsea started brightly, then faded and survived a Burnley goal on a marginal offside, then won a penalty and got a gift. 2-0! Chelsea did finish the half playing some better football.

45+4min: Long ball towards Abraham is punched cleared by Pope, and that’s the final action of the first-half.

45+2min: Barkley drives through the middle of the pitch, but is dragged back by McNeil, who earns himself a yellow. Free kick to Chelsea, just right of center, 25 yards out. Mount, Barkley and James conference over the ball — Barkley takes, the wall jumps, and the ball hits Hendrick in the head. He stays down and the game’s stopped for a potential head injury. Looks okay to play on.

45min: Mount’s snapshot from the edge of the area is saved by Pope, and no rebound. 3 minutes added on — probably should’ve been more given for the several injury stoppages and two VAR reviews.

44min: Chelsea brimming with confidence at the moment and pass it around quickly, looking for openings in the Burnley ranks. Hudson-Odoi’s cross from the right doesn’t find a blue shirt however.

43min: Chelsea win the ball on the right flank and have numbers, but Mount has the ball pinched off his toes by a retreating Lennon.

41min: Chelsea come again as Barkley and Mount work it wide to James, who drives the box. He cuts inside, then cuts outside, and hammers one towards goal. Pope makes the save. Chelsea’s corner is cleared.

38min: GOALL!!!! TAMMMMMMYY! Hudson-Odoi and James combine on the right, and the latter puts in a typically excellent cross. Abraham beats his man to head towards goal and it somehow ends in the back of the net as goalkeeper Pope and defender Mee seemingly get in each other’s way! 2-0, CHELSEA!!

36min: Tarkowski gets a forearm shiver from Rüdiger as they battle for a high ball. The Burnley man stays down for some treatment, but looks okay to carry on.

35min: The corner is hooked in right underneath the crossbar, but Kepa gets a fist up and punches out for another corner. This one’s delivered into the far corner, where Mee wins it. Barkley clears off the line! Then Azpilicueta and Mount do the same at the other post! Chelsea survive!

34min: Christensen’s called for a foul on Wood, in a similar position where James gave one away earlier and Burnley scored an offside goal. This time McNeil tries to surprise Kepa at his near post, but Kepa gets across and parries for a corner.

32min: Barkley looks for Mount with a ball over the top, but Burnley are alive to the danger and clear.

30min: James answers with a mis-hit cross of his own at the other end. Rare.

29min: Burnley look for a quick response, but a cross from the right is well overhit.

27min: GOAL!! JORGINHO! Willian drives the box and is wiped out by Lowton, who puts his hand up in apology. Jorginho steps up. Jorginho ... makes no mistake and slots it home. 1-0 CHELSEA.

23min: Abraham wins the ball high up, but Willian has no support and has to turn back. Eventually he’s crowded out and Burnley can turn upfield.

22min: Chelsea have faded after a bright start, and now we looked to be in for the grind.

18min: James called for a push from behind and Burnley have a corner 30 yards out, in the left channel. Perfect delivery from McNeil finds Mee at the far post and he heads back across to a wide open Hendrick, who makes no mistake as he nods into the empty net. But the linesman’s flagging, claiming that Mee is offside! Here comes VAR ... and it’s a very tight call, but he agrees with the linesman. NO GOAL.

16min: Mount goes short this time, but Willian can’t find a shooting angle. The ball’s worked back out wide to Hudson-Odoi eventually, but his cross is an easy catch for the goalkeeper.

15min: Barkley drives the box but is tackled. Hudson-Odoi recovers it on the wide flank and backheels to James, but his cross is blocked. Hudson-Odoi plays short to James, he puts in another great cross, which Burnley. VAR briefly looks at a potential handball, but it’s a shoulder from the defender.

13min: Suddenly Abraham’s on the ball and driving into the area, but a last-minute tackle robs him just as he was about to pull the trigger.

11min: Chris Wood has picked up a cut on his forehead bloody (broken?) nose and Burnley are desperately trying to stem the flow of blood.

8min: Mount and Willian combine, leading to another short cutback from the left, this time from Willian. Cleared. Chelsea recover the ball and work it around, winning a corner on the right side. Cleared also.

6min: Mount and Barkley work the ball left to right, finding James. He whips in a cross, but the goalkeeper catches it ahead of the arriving Abraham.

4min: Mount takes the corner short and the ball’s worked to Willian. He cuts inside and takes aim, but his shot is blocked for another corner. Mount goes long but it’s cleared for another corner. This time Chelsea go short again, but Hudson-Odoi’s cross is cleared. Willian then switches to James, but his piledriver goes over. Good start.

2min: Chelsea respond with a couple cutbacks from the left, first from Azpilicueta, then from Mount. Both cleared, the latter for a corner.

KICK-OFF: And we’re off! Burnley turn the kick-off into a Hendrick early sighter; well over.

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Christian Pulisic is out, so someone else will have to score the hat-trick today against Burnley.

Who will it be? Tammy? Callum? Mason? Someone else?

Time to find out. Here we go!

P.S.: Kanté is out, too, with a hamstring problem.

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Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Azpilicueta (c), Rüdiger, Christensen, James | Barkley, Jorginho, Mount | Hudson-Odoi, Abraham, Willian

Substitutes form: Caballero, Zouma, Tomori, Emerson, Kovačić, Pedro, Batshuayi

Burnley starting lineup (4-5-1):
Pope | Taylor, Mee, Tarkowski, Lowton | McNeil, Westwood, Hendrick, Cork, Lennon | Wood

Substitutes from: Hart, Gibson, Pieters, Bardsley, Vydra, Long, Koiki

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Date / Time: Saturday, January 11, 2020, 15.00 GMT; 10am EST; 8:30pm IST
Venue: Bramford Stidge, SW6
Referee: Kevin Friend

On TV: none (UK); NBCSN, Universo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); Canal+ Sport 2, SuperSport 4, SuperSport 12 (NGA)
Streaming: NBC Sports Live, Universo Now (USA); HotStar (India); DStv Now (NGA); Chelsea TV (audio commentary only — int’l)

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