Chelsea have extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points following a 3-1 win at Bournemouth.
The Blues stormed into a two-goal lead, with Adam Smith's own goal and an Eden Hazard strike giving them an early advantage before Joshua King pulled one back for the hosts.
Antonio Conte's side put the result beyond doubt in the 68th minute when Marcos Alonso curled a free kick into the top corner.
Find out how the action unfolded with out minute-by-minute text commentary below.
Hello and welcome to our live text coverage of the Premier League contest between Chelsea and Bournemouth, a match which could see the visitors move seven points clear at the top of the table. Team news incoming...
BOURNEMOUTH XI: Boruc; Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Fraser, Arter, Wilshere, Pugh; King, Afobe
CHELSEA XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Pedro, Diego Costa, Hazard
So what can we make of those lineups? It looks like a 4-4-2 for the Cherries, who will likely sit deep against prolific Chelsea. The big news for the hosts is the return of Ryan Fraser, who is recalled at right-back.
There are two absentees at the back for the home side, with Junior Stanislas dubbed unfit and Tyrone Mings suspended. Midfielder Dan Gosling is still nursing the knee problem which kept him out of the midweek draw with Liverpool.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has made two changes to his high-flying Blues, with Nemanja Matic and Victor Moses slotting into the midfield of a 3-4-3 formation. Moses missed the last two games with a toe injury, while Matic is preferred to Kurt Zouma for tactical reasons.
The Premier League title race is well and truly alive following Tottenham Hotspur's 4-0 win over Watford in today's lunchtime kickoff. That victory reduced Chelsea's lead at the top to four points and you can find out how the action unfolded with our match report here.
You won't find too many bookies or pundits backing anything other than a Chelsea win today. The Blues have won 18 of their 21 league matches against teams outside of the top six this season and have a solid record against today's opponents.
The Premier League's top dogs have won six out of their last eight competitive fixtures against Bournemouth and you have to go all the way back to September 3 1988 to find the Cherries last home win against the Blues. That came in an old Division Two contest, long before Chelsea were the force they are today.
PRE-MATCH QUOTE: Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to reporters ahead of kickoff: "It should be a really good game. We've got qualities, Chelsea have got qualities - I'm looking forward to see how it unfolds."
The Cherries' form has been up and down this term, but today they're going in search of three successive home wins on the spin. They also head into the match off the back of an impressive 2-2 draw away to Liverpool, so Chelsea cannot afford to get complacent.
To double underline the Bournemouth threat, their recent good form has seen them go five league matches unbeaten. If they avoid defeat today, they will equal a club record.
This man has to be one of the most improved players in Eddie Howe's ranks. Joshua King has found the net 12 times this season - that's double the amount of goals he'd managed this time last term. No doubt he'll pose Chelsea's three-man defence a few problems today - that's if he manages to get past N'Golo Kante!
All eyes will be on Diego Costa this afternoon. The fiery Spaniard has failed to score in his last three matches and has never gone four Premier League games without finding the net. To pile on even more pressure, his next league strike will be his 50th for the club.
Similarly, Eden Harzard is chasing a record today as his haul of 13 league goals is just one shy of his record, set in both 2013-14 and 2014-15. Messrs Smith, Francis, Cook and Daniels will have their work cut out keeping those two quiet today!
We heard from Eddie Howe earlier, so here's what Antonio Conte had to say ahead of the match: "In this situation you must show a winning mentality. Winning mentality to face the game with the same concentration, desire and intensity. If you play against a top team or if you play against a team that's facing relegation. This is the best way to face this type of situation." (via the Daily Star).
PREDICTION: Less than 10 minutes to go until kickoff now, so here's my prediction for this evening's game. I think Chelsea will roll out comfortable winners. Bournemouth are a decent side on their day, but Chelsea are the real deal, the champions elect and I think they'll handle the pressure Spurs dumped on them earlier.
A 3-1 win for the visitors sounds about right. Bournemouth are capable of giving their opponents a scare, but they've lost a whopping 20 points from winning positions this term - only West Ham United have a worse record than that.
Both sides are lining up on the pitch now. It looks like a full house at Bournemouth and the stadium is bouncing. Stay with us for minute-by-minute updates...
KICKOFF: Chelsea get the match underway, kicking from left to right in this first half. Will Antonio Conte's side still be four points clear after the next 90 minutes? Stay tuned to find out.
CHANCE! Thibaut Courtois is forced into action early on by his own defender! Ryan Fraser plays a dangerous ball in from wide on the right and David Luiz miscues his clearance, forcing the Belgian stopper to tip it behind. That was heading for the top corner!
There was an early scare for Chelsea when Luis made a hash of that clearance, and don't expect that to be an isolated incident. Eddie Howe has set out a tight stall, but it's clear he's instructed his side to hit the Blues on the break. They have pace up front from King and Afobe, so Chelsea can't afford to let their guard down.
BOOKING! It's a cynical handball from Victor Moses that earns him a yellow card. He'd lost a tussle with Simon Francis on the left flank, so he want to ground and deliberately pushed the ball away with his hand. A cast-iron booking if ever I saw one.
Bournemouth have been the brighter of the two teams but there was almost something on for Chelsea there as Marcos Alonso lets fly from range. His effort is deflected into the path of Nemanja Matic but the Serbian's follow-up flies into the stand to ironic cheers from the home faithful.
The Cherries look to force Chelsea on the back foot again, breaking at pace, but the move collapses when Adam Smith puts his final ball too close to Thibaut Courtois.
Half-chance for Chelsea as Moses cuts inside and shoots, his effort cannoning off a red and black shirt and rebounding out for a throw. Chelsea give away possession from their own throw-in and Bournemouth almost punish them, hitting them with a swift counter through Fraser, who gets a yard on Cahill but blazes his shot wide.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea (Adam Smith, OG)
Bournemouth have been the better team but it's Chelsea who break the deadlock with a scrappy goal. Moses finds Costa inside the box and the Spaniard turns and scuffs a shot towards goal, which deflects into the net off Adam Smith. What can you say? When you're on fire, you get these lucky breaks!
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-2 Chelsea (Eden Hazard)
It's two in the space of three minutes as Chelsea extend their lead following a pacy break. Kante picks out Hazard with a neat ball over the top and the Belgian leaves his marker for dead, rounds Boruc in the Cherries goal and guides the ball into the bottom corner. That's 14 league goals this season for Hazard.
Proof that Harzard loves playing against Bournemouth...
Bournemouth's gameplan hasn't quite come off today. They succeeded in containing Chelsea for all of 17 minutes, and in their determination to stage counter-attacks, they were hit on the break themselves. A two-goal deficit against the Blues is a daunting task on the best of days.
OFF THE POST! That deserved a goal right there! Charlie Daniels races along the left flank and swings a cross into the centre of the Chelsea box just as Benik Afobe is arriving. The Cherries forward meets the ball with a text-book volley which has Courtois beaten, but it rebounds off the post. So unlucky!
The hosts certainly look like they have a goal in them this evening. Indeed, they should have had one when Afobe rattled the post with a volley. There are gaps in that Chelsea defence, which is looking exposed whenever they give the ball away when venturing forward.
Kante fans love waxing lyrical about his stats, usually the mind-boggling number of tackles and passes he puts in. Well, here's one for you...
CLOSE! Chelsea are picking the Cherries apart all too easily now. Hazard dances into the box and has all the time in the world to play a cross in towards the encroaching Moses, who meets it with a diving header which bounces just wide.
BOOKING! Harry Arter goes into the book for a reckless challenge on Diego Costa. He missed the ball and took away the Spaniard's legs and can have no argument about that yellow.
Here are the scenes right after Harzard netted Chelsea's second. As we mentioned earlier, that was a record-equaling 14th of the season for him.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-2 Chelsea (Josh King)
I said earlier that Bournemouth look like they have a goal in them, and they certainly do! It comes from Josh King, who picks the ball up outside the box and goes it alone. He lets fly and finds the net with the help of a deflection off David Luiz. There was an element of fortune about it as the deflection is what sent the ball into the top corner.
There will be two minutes of stoppage time to play and it's Bournemouth who are heading into the break in the driving seat, where possession and attacking intent are concerned, that is.
HALF TIME: Bournemouth 1-2 Chelsea
There's half-time hope for Bournemouth as Josh King's strike has handed them a lifeline late in the first half. Chelsea looked like they were cruising before them, with an Adam Smith own goal and an Eden Hazard strike putting them two to the good.
But the Blues have looked exposed at the back on more than one occasion today and Bournemouth have proved they're more than capable of punishing them. History and the form book will tell you that Chelsea are worthy favorites to see this one out, but the Cherries cannot be written off.
KICKOFF: We're back underway here at Bournemouth. Can the Cherries find a route back into this one? Stay tuned to find out.
Bournemouth fans, if you're looking for a reason to be hopeful about your prospects in this second half, take a look at this worrying defensive trend from Chelsea...
Half-chance for Chelsea as Marcos Alonso gets away from Adam Smith along the left channel. The Chelsea man has plenty of time to get his cross just right, which is why there's no excuse for such a poor delivery, which goes straight into the arms of a grateful Artur Boruc.
CLOSE! Nervy stuff from Chelsea, who fail to contain another Bournemouth counter. Pugh is given space to tee up Fraser just outside the box and his teammate lets fly, missing the far post by mere inches!
End-to-end action at the Vitality Stadium now as great determination from Hazard causes panic in the Cherries box. The Belgian thumps in a cross from the byline and Costa uses his strength to pull away from his marker and go in for a diving header, but Adam Smith beats him to it at the far post. Good defending from him.
It's shaping up to be a cracker of a second half with both teams going for it. Chelsea are by no means certain that 2-1 will do them here, while Bournemouth look determined to find a way back into this one.
BOOKING! Kante goes into the book for a rare mistimed tackle on King. That wins Bournemouth a free kick in a good position, which they take very quickly, but the move breaks down when an offside flag goes up.
Here's an action shot of the Chelsea goalmouth as Bournemouth search for an equaliser. You have to give Eddie Howe's side credit for taking the game to the Blues. Underestimate Bournemouth at your peril, Conte.
There's a shout for a handball at Pedro cuts inside and attempts to cross the ball in from the left. It appears to graze Simon Francis's hand on the way, which wasn't in a raised position. That would have been harsh if the ref had given it, but you can't blame Pedro for appealing.
A poor challenge from Steve Cook on Costa hands Chelsea a free kick in a dangerous position...
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea (Marcos Alonso)
Chelsea move further in front and it's a beauty of a free kick from Alonso that adds to their tally. The Spanish wing-back shows wondrous technique as he curls one straight into the top corner. Artur Boruc didn't even move as the shot glided over the ball and into the net.
SUBSTITUTION: Jordan Ibe replaces Marc Pugh in a like-for-like swap for Bournemouth, who now have a mountain to climb.
We've seen a determined Bournemouth side have a real go a Chelsea tonight, but the Blues' sheer quality has shone through. They haven't always defended like champions in this fixture, but moments like that Alonso free kick show you exactly why they're the favourites to top the pile come the end of the season.
BOOKING! Pedro becomes the third Chelsea player to go into the book after lunging at Arter. While play is stopped, the Cherries make another change with Mousset coming on for Afobe.
Hazard twists and turns inside the box, but he can't shake off Adam Smith. The Belgian thinks he's won a corner as the ball bobbles out, but Smith cleverly deflected the ball back off the Chelsea man and the ref makes the correct call.
Cesc Fabregas has been warming up on the touchline. Not a bad caliber of player to be able to call on when you're trying to see a match out.
SUBSTITUTION: And there you have it. Fabregas is on and it's Eden Hazard who makes way. It was another vintage performance from the Belgian, who gets a standing ovation from the away supporters.
With less than five minutes remaining, Chelsea can surely chase those three points now. They're on course to end the day seven points clear of Tottenham at the top of the Premier League.
SUBSTITUTION: Willian replaces Pedro for the dying stages of this one. There's little time for him to make an impact but no doubt he'll welcome the opportunity to stretch his legs.
Boos ring out from the away fans as Bournemouth continue play while both Alonso and Willian are down, neither of whom look seriously hurt, mind. The board eventually goes up with three minutes of stoppage time on it.
FULL TIME: Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea
It was comfortable for Chelsea in the end as they more seven points clear at the top of the table. Josh King's goal on the stoke of half time gave the Cherries hope, but that incredible free kick from Marcos Alonso put the match beyond them.
Impressive stuff from the Blues overall. Although they had a few lucky breaks here and there, they never really looked in trouble. The champions elect march ever closer to the title.
And that concludes our live updates but stick with Sports Mole for our continued coverage of the weekend's biggest matches. Many thanks for reading.
