Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of the FA Cup third-round clash between Norwich City and Chelsea from Carrow Road.
It will be the first time that the two teams have met since Chelsea – FA Cup finalists last season - won 2-1 in this stadium during the 2015-16 Premier League season.
Norwich are currently struggling in the bottom half of the Championship, but they will enter this match off the back of a three-game unbeaten run.
Stay tuned for live minute-by-minute updates of the action.
4.31pmAfternoon all! Sports Mole's live FA Cup coverage continues from Carrow Road as Championship side Norwich City welcome Premier League champions Chelsea in the third round. The visitors will be confident of advancing to round four, but Norwich will be eyeing a shock after an improvement in their form over the festive period. Stay tuned for the action!
4.34pmNorwich have not beaten Chelsea in any competition since December 1994 – a 3-0 win at Carrow Road in the Premier League. Since then, this fixture has been utterly dominated by the Blues. Indeed, they have won five of their last six league matches – including a 2-1 victory at Carrow Road in their last match-up during the 2015-16 Premier League season.
4.37pmIt will be the first time that these two teams have met in the FA Cup since February 2007, when Chelsea won 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. The omens are not exactly great for Norwich this afternoon, but as mentioned, the second-tier club picked up seven points from three Championship matches over the festive period, while Carrow Road will be bouncing under the floodlights.
4.40pmRight, without further ado, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news. Norwich have had since Tuesday to prepare for this match, but Chelsea were in Premier League action away to Arsenal on Wednesday night – drawing 2-2 with the Gunners. Team news then...
4.43pmTEAMS!
NORWICH: Gunn; Lewis, Pinto, Zimmermann, Hanley, Klose; Maddison, Tettey, Trybull, Pritchard; Murphy
CHELSEA: Caballero; Rudiger, Luiz, Cahill; Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Bakayoko, Kenedy; Pedro, Batshuayi, Willian
4.46pm
🎥 City's boss is a big believer in the magic of the cup. ⬇️ #ncfc #cfc pic.twitter.com/It3kqG9cE8
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 6, 2018
4.49pmIt appears that Norwich will line up in a 5-4-1 formation here, with Josh Murphy operating through the middle. Christoph Zimmermann comes into the XI after appearing off the bench against Millwall on New Year's Day, while Nelson Oliveira drops to the bench. Not the most attacking of teams!
4.52pmAs for Chelsea, only Gary Cahill and Tiemoue Bakayoko remain from the team that started against Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday night. David Luiz is back after recovering from a knee problem, while Michy Batshuayi will be joined by Pedro and Willian in the final third of the field. There is also just a fourth appearance of the season for Brazilian winger Kenedy.
4.55pmSo there we have it. The two teams are in, and we are now just about 40 minutes from kickoff on this mild, late afternoon in Norwich. I shall speak about the home side a little bit later, but let's start with Chelsea. As mentioned, the Blues will enter this match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
4.58pm
A slight change in role for @joshmurphy65... he starts in attack tonight! #ncfc #cfc pic.twitter.com/toJHouOqfW
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 6, 2018
5.02pmMarcos Alonso's late strike looked to have secured all the points for Chelsea, who would have moved back above Manchester United into second with a win. Hector Bellerin came up with a late leveller for Arsenal, however, meaning that Conte's side stayed down in third spot. It has still been a decent season for the Blues when considering that they are also in the EFL Cup semi-finals.
5.05pmIndeed, Chelsea will soon face Arsenal in a two-legged semi-final in the League Cup, before the small matter of a clash with Barcelona in the last-16 stage of the Champions League next month. Conte's side will more than likely not retain the Premier League title this season, but they are very much alive and kicking in the cup competitions as things stand.
5.08pmChelsea are also unbeaten in all competitions since losing at West Ham United towards the start of December, and they will be looking to go one better in the FA Cup this season after losing to Arsenal in last year's final. The Blues were the favourites to complete a domestic double, but it was the Gunners that came out on top as Arsene Wenger's success in the competition continued.
5.12pm
Good to have this geezer back, having been out since November... #NORCHE pic.twitter.com/IJBcuJzo9s
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 6, 2018
5.15pmChelsea last lifted the FA Cup in 2012, and they are among the favourites to land the trophy for an eighth time this season. Conte might have made a number of changes to his XI for this match, but the Blues will still fancy their chances of overcoming Norwich this afternoon.
5.18pmSpeaking of Norwich, the Canaries will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 win over Millwall on New Year's Day. They are now unbeaten in their last three in the top flight, but a difficult season has left them down in 13th spot in the Championship table. To be honest, the club are more concerned about the league this season than they are about advancing in the FA Cup.
5.22pmNorwich ran Arsenal close in the EFL Cup earlier this season, only losing to the Gunners after extra-time at the Emirates Stadium. They also have plenty of players that are used to operating against teams such as Chelsea, and home advantage could play a big role for the Canaries here.
5.25pm
These two are going to be vital today. Come on, lads! 💪 #ncfc #cfc pic.twitter.com/OtL6LcDA36
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 6, 2018
5.28pmHere we go then. Both sets of players have joined us on the pitch ahead of kickoff at Carrow Road. Can Norwich dump Chelsea out of the competition? Stay tuned right here to find out!
0 minKICKOFF! Norwich kick things off on home soil...
2 min... it must be said that there is a wonderful atmosphere inside the stadium here. Norwich will undoubtedly need their supporters if they are to overcome the Premier League champions in the third round of the FA Cup. As expected, Chelsea have taken control of the possession in the early moments.
4 minHalf-chance for Chelsea as Kenedy finds space in a wide area, but his shot was always moving wide of the post. Very interesting to see Kenedy in a wing-back position for the away side here.
6 minYou do get the feeling that Norwich will need to score first in this match in order to stand a chance of picking up a positive result. Murphy has started through the middle for the home side, with Pritchard and Maddison also in the final third. Murphy has also shown his lightening pace early on.
8 minMurphy continues to cause the Chelsea defence problems with his pace in the final third.
10 minKenedy is a touch fortunate to escape a yellow card following a late challenge on Pinto, who is left in a heap. Norwich have more than matched Chelsea in the opening 10 minutes of this match.
11 minPinto is still down receiving some treatment. It is a head injury for the Norwich captain.
12 minPinto rises to his feet and it does appear that he will be able to continue. Kenedy is across to apologise, but it was a bit rash from the wing-back. Play resumes after three minutes here.
14 minA sweeping pass from Pinto releases Pritchard in a wide area, but the number 21 is confronted by Rudiger, and eventually the danger is cleared. Still goalless with 14 minutes on the clock here.
16 minIn truth, not an awful lot is happening at the moment. Chelsea are trying to release Pedro and Willian in forward areas, but their final pass has been disappointing. Murphy is the one looking to make things happen for Norwich, but the number 11 has not had too much joy thus far here.
18 minNorwich boss Farke will be delighted with what he has seen from his team in the first 18 minutes of this match. Murphy again uses his pace in a wide area, but his cross is straight at Caballero.
20 minChelsea just cannot get hold of the ball in the middle of the park, which is strange when considering the quality that the Premier League champions can call upon here.
22 minKlose is a touch fortunate to escape a yellow card after pulling Willian in the middle of the park. The referee has been very lenient in the first 22 minutes of this match. Surely a booking will arrive soon.
24 minI would love to be able to report that there has been loads of chances in the last couple of minutes, but that is just not the case. Nothing is happening in this football match. Both teams are simply giving the ball back to each other. Add some offsides and fouls in, and that is the game here.
24 minCHANCE! Luiz takes a heavy touch and Pritchard is quickly on the scene, but the ball bounces off the Norwich number 21 and drops just wide of the post! Luiz is fortunate!
26 minLuiz has not looked too assured in this match. The Brazilian is playing for the first time since the end of November, and speculation surrounding his future has been rife in recent weeks.
28 minMurphy's trickery sees the Norwich attacker move away from Rudiger, but he cannot poke a pass into Maddison. Norwich are the team causing problems in the final third of the field here.
30 minMurphy misses the target from a wide area after working space once again. The Norwich number 11 has been the one causing Chelsea's back three problems at Carrow Road tonight.
33 minYou do get the feeling that it is going to take a moment of magic for Chelsea to make the breakthrough here. The Blues have been so poor in normal play, with Norwich the more dangerous in the final third of the field. Gunn has had his slippers on between the sticks for the home side.
35 minKenedy has just delivered a terrible corner straight out of play, and that just about sums up the first half for Chelsea. The Blues have been absolutely rotten in the final third of the field.
37 minCHANCE! Super chance for the home side as Murphy races into the Chelsea box, but his effort is well wide of the post. Murphy's pace is continuing to cause problems here.
40 minLittle over five minutes of the first period remaining, and it has been a really poor game of football. Norwich have been the better team though with Chelsea struggling badly in the final third.
42 minNorwich goalkeeper Gunn has not had a single save to make in this first period. That tells you everything that you need to know about how poor Chelsea have been in attacking areas here.
42 minBOOKING Luiz (Chelsea) is booked for a foul on Maddison.
44 minSuper work from Pritchard as the Norwich attacker turns away from Cahill inside the Chelsea box before delivering towards the far post, but Murphy cannot connect ahead of Zappacosta.
45 min+1We are into the first of two additional minutes at the end of the first period here.
45 min+2Maddison fires over the Chelsea crossbar from the edge of the penalty box.
45 min+3HALF-TIME: Norwich 0-0 Chelsea
6.18pmWell, that was a tough watch. There have been some brilliant games in the FA Cup over the last 24 hours, but this is not one of them. Not yet, anyway. Norwich have been much the better of the two sides, with Chelsea struggling badly in the final third. We are goalless at the interval of this one.
6.23pmSTATISTICS! Chelsea shaded the first-half possession with 58%, but the Blues only managed two shots, and neither were on target. Norwich, meanwhile, failed to hit the target with any of their five attempts. One booking to report - Luiz in the 41st minute for a poor challenge on Maddison.
6.28pmBENCH WATCH! Chelsea's bench is packed full of youngsters here, but a certain Alvaro Morata is available, and he will be keen to return to the scoresheet after missing a host of chances against Arsenal last time out. Hoolahan, Husband, Oliveira and Wildschut are all on the Norwich bench tonight.
46 minRESTART! Chelsea resume the action here...
47 min... no changes from either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise. However, I suspect that both managers will have alterations in mind as the second period develops here.
49 minPossession football from Chelsea in the early stages of the second period, but still no obvious threat in the final third of the field. Batshuayi in particular has been poor for the visitors here.
51 minKenedy finds space in a wide area before delivering into the Norwich box - it is a much better cross - but there are no takers. Norwich just need to be careful that they do not sink deeper and deeper here.
52 minBatshuayi has Chelsea's first effort on target, but it is very comfortable for Gunn.
54 minBatshuayi has one deflected into the arms of Gunn as the Chelsea striker starts to become involved after a poor first period. Not too much from Norwich since the half-time break here.
54 minWillian finds Drinkwater just outside the Norwich box, but the midfielder fires wide.
56 minSAVE! Super save from Gunn this time as he gets down low to deny Willian!
58 minThere is no question that Chelsea have been much better since the break. I suspect that some stern words were exchanged at the interval. Norwich are just struggling to get in the game at the moment.
59 minSmart work from Gunn once again as the Norwich stopper keeps out a strike from Willian, who is the player making things happen in the final third. Still goalless with 59 minutes on the clock.
61 minCaballero comes a long way to head clear when Maddison looked to be the favourite to have a run at the away side's goal. Norwich really need to find a way to stop the flow of traffic here.
62 minBOOKING! Cahill (Chelsea) is booked for a foul on Pritchard.
64 minLittle over 25 minutes of football remaining here, and we are still goalless. Norwich have just had the chance to deliver a free kick into the Chelsea box, but Rudiger is on hand to clear his lines.
66 minPritchard is allowed to turn inside the Chelsea box, but his strike is deflected over the crossbar. Much better from Norwich in the last few moments as they start to cause problems once again.
68 minStill no movement on the Chelsea bench, but we are approaching the stage of the match where Conte will be considering changes. Alvaro Morata is one of those available for the visitors.
70 minJust a reminder that there is no extra-time. If this finishes goalless, the pair will have to do it again at Stamford Bridge. In truth, neither of these teams wants a replay during a busy league schedule.
70 minCHANCE! Big chance for the home side as Caballero punches a long throw straight to Murphy, but the attacker's effort is deflected wide of the post. Big chance there!
72 minStill no movement on either bench with little under 20 minutes to play here.
74 minMorata will soon enter the field for the away side. The Spain international is just receiving his final instructions, and it appears that he will replace the ineffective Batshuayi in the final third.
74 minCHELSEA SUB! Morata does indeed replace Batshuayi for the visitors.
76 minChelsea are also preparing a second change, but still no movement on the Norwich bench.
76 minBOOKING! Hanley (Norwich) is booked for pushing Bakayoko to the deck.
78 minCHELSEA SUB! Kenedy is replaced by Musonda for the away side.
78 minLuiz has just sent a free kick over the Norwich crossbar from distance.
80 minYou do get the feeling that one goal would be enough to win this match. Norwich are on the back foot at the moment, but they still have lots and lots of pace in the final third of the field here.
82 minNorwich are preparing to make a couple of changes, and one of those could be OIiveira, who is moving about on the bench. Little under 10 minutes of football remaining in this match.
83 minGunn does well to keep out a long-range strike from Drinkwater.
83 minNORWICH SUB! Oliveira replaces Murphy for the home side.
85 minLittle over five minutes of normal time remaining, and we are still goalless. Is there going to be a late sting in the tail here? It would be tough on Norwich if Chelsea grab a late winner here.
86 minBOOKING! Tettey (Norwich) is booked for a foul on Pedro.
87 minNORWICH SUB! Wildschut replaces Pritchard for the home side.
89 minCHELSEA SUB! Pedro is replaced by Sterling for the away side.
90+1 minWe are into the first of three added minutes at the end of the 90 here.
90+3 minThe flag is up for Morata, and Norwich have the ball in the final moments of this match. It does appear that these two teams will have to do it all again at Stamford Bridge!
90+4 minFULL-TIME: Norwich 0-0 Chelsea
7.24pmSo there we have it. The referee brings the second period to a close with the two teams level at 0-0. Chelsea were poor this afternoon, and they will need a replay to book their spot in round four. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for our live coverage once again. Until next time!
