Chelsea kept their Premier League title hopes alive on Boxing Day as they earned a narrow 1-0 win at home to Swansea City.
The only goal of the match came in the 29th minute as Eden Hazard fired the ball past Gerhard Tremmel from the edge of the box.
Despite chances for both teams in the second half, the hosts managed to hold on to claim their first victory in three games.
Read Sports Mole's minute-by-minute report below to find out how all of the action unfolded at Stamford Bridge.
Merry Christmas and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of this afternoon's Premier League clash between Chelsea and Swansea City at Stamford Bridge. We should have some team news through for you shortly...
UPDATE: There's one match currently being played in the Premier League and it's a real cracker at the KC Stadium. About an hour has been played and it's 2-2 between Hull City and Manchester United.
CHELSEA: Cech; Ivanovic, D Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Mikel; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Eto'o
CHELSEA SUBS: Schwarzer, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Lampard, Schurrle, Willian, Torres
Jose Mourinho has opted to make five changes to his starting lineup following Monday's goalless draw with Arsenal. Ashley Cole returns at left-back, while David Luiz, Juan Mata, Oscar and Samuel Eto'o are also given the nod. Cesar Azpilcueta, Gary Cahill, Frank Lampard, Willian and Fernando Torres all drop to the bench.
SWANSEA: Tremmel; Rangel, Amat, Williams, Davies; Britton, Canas, Shelvey, Pozuelo, Routledge; Vazquez
SWANSEA SUBS: Zabret, Chico, Taylor, de Guzman, Hernandez, Lamah, Bony
Swansea have made a total of four changes as Angel Rangel, Jordi Amat, Alejandro Pozuelo and Alvaro Vazquez all come into the starting XI. Chico Flores, Jonathan de Guzman, Pablo Hernandez and Wilfried Bony make way for the visitors.
So, what's a stake in this match today? Chelsea could go top of the table if they win by a couple of goals and Arsenal fail to beat West Ham United at Upton Park. It's unlikely that the visitors are thinking about the mathematics, but a win would certainly keep them in the hunt for the title as we enter a busy period of fixtures.
As for Swansea, the South-Wales club have a chance to move into the top half of the table if they stun the Blues this afternoon.
RECENT FORM:
CHELSEA: WLWWLD
SWANSEA: LWDLDL
Chelsea come into this match on the back of Monday's goalless draw with title contenders Arsenal, while Swansea were beaten by Everton last time out thanks to Ross Barkley's late free kick.
One big miss for Swansea today is Michu. The Spaniard hasn't been in the finest of form as of late, but he is always a welcome presence in their side. Manager Michael Laudrup recently confirmed that the forward would be out of action for around six weeks as he undergoes an ankle operation:
HEAD TO HEAD: It's Chelsea who have the better record in previous meetings between the sides, with nine wins to Swansea's six. There have also been nine draws since they first squared off in 1925.
UPDATE: It's finished at the KC Stadium and Manchester United have fought back from two goals down to earn a 3-2 win.
Anyway, back to business. Chelsea and Swansea acutally played each other four times last season, with Chelsea recording a 2-0 win in this fixture after a 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium. The other two encounters came in the League Cup semi-finals where Swansea picked up a 2-0 aggregate victory over two legs before thrashing Bradford City in the final.
UPDATE: If you fancy reading our match report for the early kickoff at the KC Stadium then you can find it right here. But come back.
REFEREE WATCH: The man in the middle for today's match at Stamford Bridge is Michael Jones. Ten minutes until this one gets underway.
PREDICTION TIME: Quite simply, you'd expect Chelsea to pick up the three points today as they look to get back on track near the top of the table. However, Swansea could make life very difficult for the Blues if they remain compact and organised.
The players are starting to emerge in the tunnel as we edge closer to kickoff. Around five minutes to go.
KICKOFF: Right. The players are out, the pre-match handshakes have been done and it will be Swansea to get us underway on this crisp, clear Boxing Day at Stamford Bridge. Here we go!
Not a great deal to report on during what has been a tame opening few minutes. Swansea enjoyed some early possession, but Chelsea are now starting to see a bit more of the ball.
Hazard has looked lively for the home side so far. He received the ball a couple of times in dangerous positions, though Swansea have done just enough to deal with him. Chelsea are yet to get into the swing of things so far.
Something of a half-chance for the visitors there as Shelvey whips in a free kick from the left side, but Amat can only head over from about 10 yards. The defender probably should have done a bit better there as the marking was almost non-existent.
CHANCE! Decent opportunity for Chelsea as Hazard threads the ball through to Oscar. However, Taylor does well to recover and dispossess the Brazilian, who was bearing down on goal.
CHANCE! Close again for the hosts! Some neat passing inside the box ends with Ivanovic seeing his low shot deflected behind for a corner. Unfortunately for Chelsea, they can't make anything of it as Luis is penalised for a bit of tussling.
Chelsea are starting to dominate a bit more now, but Swansea are occasionally looking dangerous on the counter-attack. The visitors put together a slick move just then, though Davies's cross was a poor one. Shelvey then had a crack at goal from about 25 yards that flew well wide of the post.
CHANCE! Hazard should do better there! The Belgian was played through by Eto'o before dragging his effort wide. You would have expected him to at least get that on target and make Tremmel work.
Tremmel is finally forced into a save, but the long-range shot from Ramires was a poor one. Still, this is more encouraging for Chelsea following a slow opening.
Decent again from Chelsea as Oscar's cross is volleyed over by Terry after a save from Tremmel. The hosts then win three consecutive corners as they crank up the pressure on Swansea, but the visitors do enough to eventually see off the danger.
OFF THE LINE! Great defending by Swansea captain Williams! A cross from the right was headed down into the six-yard box where Mikel was lurking, but Williams was there to hoof the ball off the line after flinging himself towards the ball. He took that right off Mikel's toe.
Another opening for Chelsea as Mata's cross from the left side was headed wide from Luiz. The Brazilian failed to get any power behind the ball though.
It's becoming a bit of an onslaught from Chelsea now as they pin Swansea well back inside their own half. However, the finishing just hasn't been there for Jose Mourinho's side so far.
GOAL! CHELSEA 1-0 SWANSEA (HAZARD)
The deadlock has been broken and it's Eden Hazard for Chelsea! The winger cut onto his right foot about 20 yards from goal before seeing his shot go straight through Swansea goalkeeper Tremmel. It looked as if the shotstopper had his vision impeded by Williams, who was in front of him.
There can be no denying that Chelsea deserve to be ahead. Their finishing and build-up play hasn't been near the level that Jose Mourinho expects, but the Blues have created the better chances while enjoying lots of possession. Can Swansea find a way back into this match?
SAVE! Nearly an equaliser for Swansea! Shelvey headed Taylor's cross onto Vazquez before the Spaniard's effort was tipped over the crossbar by Cech. Swansea fail to make anything of the resulting corner.
That's a shame for Swansea as a neat, crisp passing move around the Chelsea box ends with Routledge over-hitting the ball out of play when trying to find Davies on the right wing.
WHOOSH! What was Shelvey thinking there? The midfielder hit a free kick high over the bar when he was around 40 yards for goal. Why didn't he dink the ball into the box where he had plenty of teammates waiting?
Mata is the latest Chelsea player to have a crack at goal by dragging his shot wide from 25 yards. Just over five minutes left in this first half.
CHANCE! That should be 2-0! The ball was flicked over the top for Eto'o to chase onto, but the striker could only fire a weak effort straight at Tremmel when he had the whole goal to aim for.
Eto'o tries his luck again as he works some space before seeing his shot deflected wide for a corner that Swansea deal with. Just the one minute of added time at the end of the first half.
HALF TIME: CHELSEA 1-0 SWANSEA
Michael Jones blows the half-time whistle and it's Chelsea who lead Swansea City 1-0 thanks to Eden Hazard's goal on 29 minutes.
Chelsea are deservedly ahead at Stamford Bridge, but they could be in a far more comfortable position were it not for some poor finishing. Jose Mourinho is sure to be telling his players right now that they need to be more ruthless in the final third.
Meanwhile, Swansea are likely to be filled with a tiny amount of hope after riding their luck and conceding just the one goal. They've not looked to bad on the counter-attack so far, though Michael Laudrup will want his players to work harder in midfield to try to quell the threat of Eden Hazard and Oscar. Easier said than done, of course.
There are currently seven other matches being played in the Premier League right now, so here come those half-time scores...
PREMIER LEAGUE HALF-TIME SCORES:
Aston Villa 0-0 Crystal Palace
Cardiff City 0-3 Southampton
Everton 0-1 Sunderland
Newcastle United 1-1 Stoke City
Norwich City 1-1 Fulham
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United 0-0 Arsenal
Meanwhile, Manchester United got the Boxing Day schedule underway earlier this afternoon with a 3-2 victory against Hull City at the KC Stadium.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! The players are back out for the second half and it will be Chelsea to kick us off. Swansea have made a change during the break as Pablo Hernandez comes on for Alejandro Pozuelo.
SAVE! What a stop from Tremmel to deny Chelsea a second goal almost instantly! Eto'o got on the end of Oscar's cross from the right, but he could only hit his volley straight at the German from close range.
WIDE! How many chances does Eto'o want to score? The Cameroonian had a crack at goal from the edge of the Swansea box, only to drag his shot wide of the target when he had bags of time on the ball. Jose Mourinho isn't looking to happy with all the opportunities that his team is squandering.
Both managers are looking fairly animated down on the touchline at the moment. Michael Laudrup in particular is giving his players plenty of encouragement as they look for an equaliser. The visitors have competed well at the start of this second half.
There's a slight feeling of nervousness in the stands at Stamford Bridge as the Chelsea fans know that a one-goal lead is a precarious one in the Premier League. Swansea are looking a bit more up for it compared to their performance during the first half.
SUBSTITUTION: Swansea are making a change here as Jonathan de Guzman comes on for Jose Canas. Thirty minutes left at Stamford Bridge.
It could be argued that this is Swansea's best spell of the match so far. The visitors are being allowed to pass the ball around in their trademark style, while Chelsea are struggling to hold onto the ball when they get it.
SUBSTITUTION: Here's Chelsea's first change of the match now as Oscar is withdrawn in place of Frank Lampard. The hosts are lacking a bit of bite at the moment - can Lampard rejuvenate them?
Swansea are really starting to turn the screw as they go in search of an equaliser. The visitors are pinning Chelsea back with some expansive play from left to right. Chelsea are just about hanging in there, though.
SUBSTITUTION: Another swap for Chelsea now as Andre Schurrle enters the action in place of Juan Mata.
CHANCE! Textbook Lampard. The midfielder arrived late before hitting a low shot from just inside the box, but Tremmel was there to get down low and make the save.
SUBSTITUTION: A second change for Swansea here, with Wilfried Bony coming on for Wayne Routledge. Michael Laudrup clearly feels the need to give his side an injection of attacking intent.
Swansea win a corner thanks to some poor defending from Ivanovic, but the Serbian makes up for his error by heading away the resulting kick. Nervy times at Stamford Bridge as we enter the final 10 minutes of the match.
CHANCE! Yet again Chelsea let themselves down with the final ball. Ramires led a good counter-attack for the hosts with two teammates for company. However, the Brazilian lingered for too long on the ball and was dispossessed on the edge of the box.
SUBSTITUTION: Chelsea's final change sees Willian replace Eden Hazard. The Belgian has been one of the shining lights for the home side this afternoon.
YELLOW CARD: A couple of quick bookings now as Ramires is booked for Chelsea after Jordi Amat is cautioned for Swansea. The Ramires one is significant because it means that the midfielder will miss Saturday's encounter with Liverpool.
Just a couple of minutes of normal time left in this one and it looks like Chelsea have done just about enough to come away with the points thanks to Hazard's 29th-minute goal. Or do Swansea have one final surge in them?
There will be four minutes of added time...
Swansea win a late corner which they hit deep into the Chelsea penalty area, but the hosts manage to deal with the danger.
FULL TIME: CHELSEA 1-0 SWANSEA CITY
Michael Jones blows the full-time whistle and it's Chelsea who have the three points thanks to a 1-0 win over Swansea City. The only goal in an otherwise disappointing game came in the 29th minute when Eden Hazard fired past Gerhard Tremmel.
Anyway, that's all from me but don't forget that you can find reports and reaction from all of today's Premier League games right here on Sports Mole. Thanks for your company and we hope to see you again soon. Goodbye!
