FULL-TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 3-0 CHELSEA
90+3' Chelsea wins a free kick on the left as Willian whips in a good ball into the box. Abraham and Giroud get hold off the ball but nothing comes off. Chelsea regains possession as Willian crosses into the box but Henderson plucks it out of the air.
90+2' Sheffield gets another chance after failed headed clearance by Giroud falls for Osborne plays it to Mousset who goes for an out-foot curler but skies it over the bar.
90' Willian brings down a cross-field path, dances past Osborne and crosses it towards Azpilicueta at the far post. The Chelsea skipper is unable to control the ball and is too easy for Henderson.
88' Block! Sheffield loses possession out the penalty box as Jorginho plays it Abraham who pulls the trigger from close range but Jageilka slides to block the strike.
86' Hudson-Odoi and Willian play one-two on the right and cross into the box as Tammy Abraham is presented with a free header by Jagielka. However, the England strike is unable to time his jump and Henderson makes another easy save.
84' Sheffield come back again as Osborn is taken off the ball by Jorginho. Its now or never for the Blues.
82' Almost 4-0! Jorginho is hauled off the ball by McGoldrick in the centre as he puts Mousset through to the goal. The Frenchman tries to chip the ball over Kepa which bounces wide off the near post.
79' Giroud gets a header on target after he positions himself in between Jagielka and O'Connell but his shot is straight at Henderson who makes a comfortable save. Lampard throws in the final dice as he sends in Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Callum Hudson-Odoi to replace Ross Barkley and Reece James.
77' GOAL SHEFFIELD! That should put the game to bed. McGoldrick makes a superb run into the box with the ball and plays it to Mousset who is completely unmarked on the right. The Frenchman squares it across the goalline which Zouma fails to clear. The loose ball fall kindly for McGoldrick who smashes it home to make it 3-0.
75' Chelsea is looking more assured going forward with the substitutions by Wilder shaking up the Sheffield backline. Willian wins a free kick on the left and whips it towards the near post. Tammy Abraham reaches the set piece but flashes it wide off the cross bar.
73' Close! Azpilicueta finds himself in space on the left as he is teed up by Barkley. The Spaniard pulls the trigger from outside the box forcing a save from Henderson.
70' Chance! Chelsea manages to thwart the corner but Sheffield wisn back the ball as Stevens sends a low cross into the box which Lys Mousset hits on the turn, but the ball bounces off his boot and falls comfortably for Kepa.
69' Another long ball from the back finds Giroud in the centre of the box, but it is too long for Frenchman to reach. Sheffield counters away swiftly as McGoldrick wins a corner.
67' Chris Basham, who has looked dazed since taking Barkley's free kick to the face, comes off as the players break for drinks. Former Everton centre-back Phil Jagielka comes on as the substitution for Basham.
66' Olivier Giroud comes on for Christian Pulisic and straight away goes for the goal after bringing down Rudiger's long ball, but manages to drag it wide off the near post.
64' Tammy Abraham finds himself in space upfront as he lays the ball in Pulisic's path who plays it to Barkley who pulls the trigger. However, Sheffield has bodies back in the box and clear the ball away.
62' Chris Basham receives treatment on the sidelines after receiving a knock as John Lundstrom and Lys Mousset come on to replace Oliver McBurnie and Sander Berge.
60' Sander Berge brings down Barkley outside the box as Sheffield concedes its first free kick in the final third. Willian's set piece clatters into the Sheffield wall as Chris Wilder readies his first substitutions of the evening.
59' Abraham wins another corner for Chelsea but Willian has been unable to find a blue shirt in the box.
56' Despite the personnel change, Chelsea is being overrun and outnumbered in every area of the pitch. Zouma and Azpilicueta dig deep to win back the possession as Reece James wins a corner for Chelsea. Basham comes up with another headed clearance for Willian's curling corner kick.
54' Chance! A cross-field hit from Basham finds Osborn in the space between Zouma and Rudiger. The cross lands dangerously for Osborn as Rudiger hits it the crossbar for a Sheffield corner which is dealt easily by Chelsea defence.
52' Alonso and Pulisic try to work the ball from the left but Norwood and Basham combine to clear the danger.
50' The formation tweak from Chelsea has given it more numbers in the box. Reece James sends a cross at the far post with Abraham and Alonso present inside the box. Alonso gets to the ball but only manages to head it wide off the post.
48' Basham makes a foray into the attacking half and almost gets his shot away as Zouma is caught in tow minds but somehow manages to get the ball clear.
46' We are underway in the second half! Frank Lampard is forced into a double change at half-time as he takes off Andreas Christensen and Mason Mount for Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger which looks like formation change for Chelsea to match the five-man midfield and three centre-backs.
HALF-TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 2-0 CHELSEA
45+2' Reece James wins a corner after his cross is cleared by Basham. Willian's resultant free kick is comfortably cleared by the Blades' defence as the referee blows the whistle to bring the half to an end.
45+1' Barkley holds the ball away from Egan to lay it in the path of Abraham but Stevens is in a good place to clear the danger.
43' Sheffield launches a swift counter attack as McBurnie drifts wide to cross it towards Osborne who makes a run behind the Chelsea defence. Christensen reads the cross correctly to get a head clearance. Chelsea moves the ball quickly as Barkley plays to Reece James who tries to go from outside the box but cannot beat Henderson.
41' Azpilicueta tries to find Pulisic in the centre but Berge is there to head it to safety. Chelsea is forced to pass sideways once again with little to no space through the centre and wiings.
39' Abraham has barely seen the ball as he is marked closely by O'Connell. Chelsea's quality is being tested to limit by a disciplined Sheffield.
36' More frustration for Chelsea. Jorginho attempts a long ball over the defence which Abraham brings down near the box and plays to Pulisic. The American is shaken off the ball easily by the combination of Chris Basham and O'Connell.
33' GOAL SHEFFIELD! Stunning stuff from the Blades. There is a mix-up between Willian and Reece James on the left flank which gives Enda Stevens enough to time to send a pin-point cross into the box which McBurnie buries into the back of the net with a thunderous header and Sheffield is off to a dream start.
32' Zouma goes for a diagonal ball trying to find Willian in the centre, but find O'Connell who comfortably clears the danger.
30' Sheffield wins back the ball after Chris Basham steals the ball from Willian. Henderson tries to go for a long kick towards Osborn on the left flank but Zouma gets there first to head it clear.
28' Azpilicueta has so far been unable to go on his overlapping runs with the Blades shutting the wide areas. Willian switches play towards Abraham on the left but is hauled off the ball by Sander Berge.
25' Chelsea tries to build from the back after the drinks break. Mount tries a lob over the defence for Pulisic to chase but the American is unable to get to the ball in time.
21' For all the possession Chelsea had until now, it has been unable to test Dean Henderson in the goal. The midfield press by Sheffield means the Blues are unable to move the ball to final third.
18' GOAL SHEFFIELD! The pressure from the host pays off as McGoldrick gets his first league goal. Boldock's cross at the far post is taken on a volley by McBurnie who gets a deflection off Christensen as Kepa scramble to palm it away. McGoldrick is in position to pounce on the spill over and stabs it home from close range.
17' Sheffield has a spell of possession of its own as McBurnie and McGoldrick try to stretch the Chelsea defence wide. Boldock crosses into the box but is blocked by Mount.
15' Barkley plays Willian into the space on the right as the Brazilian goes wide to cross the ball but overhits it and Sheffield has a goal kick.
13' The five-man midfield of Sheffield has been successful so far in harrying the Chelsea wide men off the ball. Willian is forced to go back to Zouma after his path blocked by Baldock.
11' Ouch! Christensen comes off his line to take the ball off McGoldrick and twists his ankle in the process. He receives treatment and is back on the pitch.
9' Mount and Pulisic combine beautifully on the left flank as Mount pulls the ball back for Pulisic in the centre but Egan is in place to clear the danger.
7' Willian and Reece James work the ball around the right-hand side as James squares a low cross towards Pulisic at the far post. The American tries a low header but is well off target.
5' Norwood sends a dangerous cross for McGoldrick in the centre who wins a corner for the host. Kepa had to punch the corner kick but is unable to get it away from the box as Osborn takes a stab at the goal but the ball sails over the crossbar.
3' George Baldock gets a yellow card for bringing down Christian Pulisic in the attacking half. The match has had a frantic pace about it so far.
1' OFF WE GO! And Sheffield is out of blocks as it wins a corner following a headed clearance by Mason Mount off a shot from McBurnie. However, the set piece dealt easily by the Blues' defence.
The Premier League flag flies at half-mast as both the teams observe a minute of silence in memory of England's World Cup winner Jack Charlton who passed away at the age of 85.
Line-ups:
Sheffield United (3-5-2): Henderson; O'Connell, Basham, Egan; Baldock, Stevens, Norwood, Osborn, Berge; McBurnie, McGoldrick
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Christensen, Zouma, Reece James, Azpilicueta; Jorginho, Barkley, Mount; Pulisic, Willian, Abraham
- Team News: Chelsea centre-back Fikayo Tomori is close to match fitness while young midfielder Billy Gilmour is out of the season following a knee surgery. There will be more absences in the engine room for Chelsea who might not see N'Golo Kante who has been nursing a hamstring issue which should prompt Frank Lampard to start with Mateo Kovacic. The Blades nervously wait for the return of key midfielder John Fleck and striker David McGoldrick who recovered from foot injury.
- Form Guide: Sheffield - LLWDW, Chelsea - WWLWW
- What's at stake: Chelsea has picked itself up since the 3-2 defeat against West Ham United with two wins over Watford and Crystal Palace. The Blues will look solidify their third place with a victory against Sheffield, which has won three matches in a row at home. The Blades' form has not been promising since the restart but will go into the tie with confidence after beating fellow European contenders Wolves in the last match. A win would take Chris Wilder's men to sixth in the standings while a draw would see them remain seventh.
Hotstar will be live streaming the Premier League match Sheffield United vs Chelsea from 10.00 pm (IST) on Saturday.
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