Premier League leaders Chelsea made the short trip to Fulham this afternoon looking to maintain their grip on top spot.
They were frustrated by their hosts during the first half, but after the restart a 17-minute hat-trick from Andre Schurrle sealed the points for the Blues.
Johnny Heitinga replied for Fulham late on, but it was no more than a consolation effort from the Dutch defender.
You can find out how the match unfolded with our minute-by-minute updates below.
2.02pmAfternoon all. So, another weekend of Premier League action has arrived and here we will be covering bottom playing top at Craven Cottage - Fulham vs. Chelsea.
2.05pmBoth sets of players arrived at the ground a little while ago and now the team news is just starting to filter through to us. Let's begin with how the visitors will start this derby encounter...
2.07pmCHELSEA XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Schurrle, Oscar, Hazard; Torres
2.08pmCHELSEA SUBS: Schwarzer, Cole, Luiz, Mikel, Lampard, Willian, Ba
2.12pmJose Mourinho has made two changes to the side that drew with Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Nemanja Matic was cup-tied for that clash, but the Serbian has returned to the team, while Oscar has also been reinstated in an advanced midfield role. Andre Schurrle keeps his place, as does Fernando Torres as a lone striker.
2.13pmAnd for hosting Fulham's starting lineup...
2.14pmFULHAM XI: Stekelenburg; Riether, Hangeland, Heitinga, Richardson; Dejagah, Parker, Sidwell, Dempsey, Kasami; Bent
2.15pmFULHAM SUBS: Stockdale, Riise, Burn, Kvist, Holtby, Karagounis, Rodallega
2.18pmHome boss Felix Magath has moved Kieran Richardson into the left-back position, which in turn has seen Pajtim Kasami called into a wide role. There is also in an advanced midfield position for loanee Clint Dempsey, while Darren Bent has been preferred to Colombian Hugo Rodallega up front.
2.22pmSo, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see just how important this clash is for both teams - a quick glance at the Premier League table will tell you all that you need to know. From a Chelsea point of view, a victory would guarantee that they end the weekend top of the pile, whereas Fulham are bottom. With 11 matches left, they need to start putting wins on the board or relegation is inevitable.
2.25pmStaying with Fulham, this is Magath's first home match in charge. Just now, he spoke to Sky Sports News about this encounter. Here's some of what he had to say:
"We are playing against the best team at the moment. We are not on their level so we have to fight and I hope I have a team that can fight for 90 minutes. In our situation, we need experienced players because we have to play and make less mistakes. If we can wipe the mistakes, I'm sure we have a chance of winning today."
2.29pmMagath's opposite number Mourinho has also just been interviewed, again by Sky Sports News:
"At the end of the game everyone will be exhausted, but we have to forget that and play. We are not going to play with excuses in our pockets. They are not excuses, they are reality, but we must forget. It's never easy when Fulham are in a comfortable position and they have an extra motivation of this difficult situation. I hope that it's played with the good ingredients of a local derby."
2.34pmIf the head to head record between these neighbours is anything to go by, Mourinho could be forgiven for being confident today. Chelsea and Fulham have met 69 times, with the Cottagers winning on just seven occasions! They last won this fixture back in March 2006 when Luis Boa Morte scored the only goal of the game.
2.37pmSomeone that was signed in January to win matches like this for Fulham was club-record arrival Konstantinos Mitroglou. The Greek frontman is not involved today, though, having been deemed to be not fit enough by Magath. After seeing his former club Olympiacos topple Manchester United in the Champions League last week, it would be interesting to hear what the centre-forward is thinking right now.
2.40pmTalking to the press yesterday, Magath said this of the striker: "Mitroglou isn't ready at the moment but he's developing and I think next week we can count on him, but the game against Chelsea is a bit too early. He doesn't have an injury, he has a lack of fitness. The Premier League is not the same as the Greek league."
2.42pmSurely, though, if you have someone at your disposal that has scored 21 goals in 24 matches for club and country this season, you'd at least put him on the bench, even if he is half fit? It's not as if Fulham have been clinical in front of goal this season! He could have come off the bench with 20 or 15 minutes to go and caused problems.
2.46pmSwitching our attention to Chelsea and there was never any danger of Eden Hazard not featuring today. The Belgian international has scored 14 goals this season and he is marking a landmark for the club:
Congratulations to @hazardeden10 who makes his 100th appearance for the Chelsea this afternoon. #CFC pic.twitter.com/k2EYdmmhHQ
— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) March 1, 20142.50pmPREDICTION: So, with 10 minutes until 'Thunderbirds Are Go' at Craven Cottage, let's have a stab at guessing the outcome of this clash. On paper, there is only won winner from this contest. If Chelsea perform well, it will not matter too much what Fulham produce. Having said that, with Magath at the helm, the hosts will work hard and try to make life difficult for the Blues. Let's say a 2-1 victory for the visitors, with Torres and Hazard scoring.
2.55pmBefore we get underway, let's take a quick look at what a win would mean for both sides. Victory for Chelsea would keep them top and depending upon how Arsenal fare at Stoke City, they could extend their one-point advantage. As for Fulham, with Cardiff City not playing Tottenham Hotspur until tomorrow, they will move off the foot of the table with a win. Such a big match for both teams.
2.57pmAnd here come the players. They are now out on the pitch and the pre-match handshakes are taking place. Only a couple of minutes now until proceedings are started.
1 minKICKOFF! In the West London sunshine, Chelsea, attacking from right to left, get us started at Craven Cottage.
4 minCHANCE! Good opportunity as Kasami shows great strength to go beyond Branislav Ivanovic. That in itself is no mean feat because the Chelsea defender has legs like tree trunks! Having reached the byline, Kasami's cross is a decent height and is met by Dempsey, but the American international cannot get a clean contact with his head and the ball skids wide of the target.
7 minSome advice to Fulham from David Pleat over on BBC Sport: "It's a trademark of Felix Magath's teams that they will close teams down quickly - and with three substitutes available it is possible to do that. Fulham have to start on the front foot and not let Chelsea take control of the game."
8 minIt's still very early days of course, but we've seen little of Chelsea as an attacking force yet. Fulham deserve the credit for that because they've been pressing high up the pitch and are refusing to allow their opposition time to settle.
11 minWe've just had a stoppage in play because Fulham defender Hangeland went down after clashing heads with his teammate Richardson. It looked for a while that he was going to have to be replaced, but the Dane is now back on the pitch. No doubt that will be something that Fulham's medical team monitor for the next few minutes.
14 minCHANCE! Fulham goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg cost his side last week and he almost made himself a villain again. He dwells on a clearance, which allows Fernando Torres to charge down his kick. The ball then loops up into the air and the Chelsea striker brings it down, but Stekelenburg atones by saving his low shot. What a nightmare that would have been for the hosts.
16 minSUBSTITUTION: Unfortunately for Fulham, Hangeland has not been able to recover from that head injury. He's trudged back to the dressing room for treatment, with Dan Burn taking his place.
21 minWhatever is wrong with Stekelenburg right now, he needs to give himself a shake! Having got away with that mistake when Torres should have scored, he's just produced two poor clearances that have flown straight out of play.
25 minStill nothing to report from Chelsea as an attacking force, aside from that chance that Torres passed up. They are struggling at the moment to get the likes of Hazard and Oscar into the game.
30 minMourinho is not happy a bunny on the touchline at this present moment in time. He's barking out orders, particularly at Torres, who it appears he is demanding works harder out of possession. It's been a frustrating match so far for the Portuguese boss.
34 minBOOKING! The first yellow card of the afternoon goes to Fulham's Ashkan Dejagah, who doesn't bother to argue. He clearly tripped up Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta on the byline.
39 minSAVE! And the award for most elaborate free kick in Premier League history goes to...Fulham! Three players make decoy runs over the ball, before Kasami strikes it goalwards. His shot was well held by Petr Cech, but that was some routine by the home side!
42 minStill very little happening from Chelsea as an attacking unit. One would imagine that Mourinho is going to dish out a few rollockings during the break!
45 minThere will be three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this half, owing largely to that head injury sustained by Hangeland.
45+2 minSAVE! Much better from Stekelenburg, who shows great reflexes to tip over Torres's powerful half-volley from a narrow angle. That will have done the Fulham goalkeeper's confidence no harm after an indifferent first half.
45+3 minHALF TIME: FULHAM 0-0 CHELSEA
3.50pmMark Clattenburg brings an end to the first half at Craven Cottage with a sharp blast on his whistle. As he does so, the camera cuts to Mourinho, who does not look happy!
3.53pmMourinho said before the game that his players were a little tired after their Champions League exertions during the week and it's that type of performance that Chelsea have produced so far. There has been little urgency about their play, while the likes of Hazard, Oscar and Schurrle have been non-existent in the attacking third.
3.56pmAs for Magath, he is bound to be content at this moment in his time. His side have worked extremely hard so far, both in and out possession of the ball - it's been a real 'Felix Magath performance'. One criticism would be that when they have ventured into the Chelsea half, their passing has often been careless and the moves have come to an abrupt conclusion.
4pmSTATS! Chelsea may have had 60% of the possession, but they've managed to have just four shots with it, one of which has been on target. Fulham have also had four attempts and have called Cech into action on two occasions. As for the fouls count, Fulham lead 10-8.
46 minRESTART! Match official Clattenburg blows the whistle and hosting Fulham get proceedings back underway at Craven Cottage. Big 45 minutes ahead for both teams
48 minEarly pressure from Chelsea, who are now attacking towards their own supporters. First John Terry keeps a corner alive with a header back into the Fulham area which is eventually cleared, then Hazard weaves his way beyond three defenders before he is crowded out.
51 minBOOKING! It's now 1-1 in terms of yellow cards as Chelsea midfielder Ramires talks his way into the referee's notebook. The Brazilian was not happy that a foul had been awarded against him.
52 minGOAL! FULHAM 0-1 CHELSEA (SCHURRLE)
52 minHe may not have had many chances to prove his worth this season, but Schurrle has just scored what could turn out to be a majorly important goal for Chelsea. It's all about his pace as he beats the offside trap on the right flank, before cutting inside. That draws Stekelenburg off his line, but the Fulham keeper can do nothing about the German international's neat finish from the edge of the area.
56 minWhatever Mourinho said to his players during the break, it's worked. They have been much brighter since the restart. Now, will Fulham throw the kitchen sink, the microwave and the utensils at Chelsea? Or will they continue to play with a tight unit until the closing stages?
60 minBrilliant play from Hazard, who uses his speed to get himself to the left byline. He then throws his right leg behind his left leg to cross towards the back post, where Torres appears to be waiting for a simple header. At the final moment, though, Fulham full-back Richardson steals in to clear the danger and keep his side in the game.
62 minSUBSTITUTION: Second change of the match for Fulham and it's Tottenham Hotspur loanee Lewis Holtby that is thrown into the action. He has replaced the largely ineffective Kasami.
64 minIt's as if somebody has flicked the light switch on for Chelsea - their performance really has been that much better in this half. That has a lot to do with the fact that Hazard's influence on the game has grown. He's starting to go on those runs that have devastated defences of late.
65 minGOAL! FULHAM 0-2 CHELSEA (SCHURRLE)
65 minIs there a better player on current form in the Premier League than Hazard? The game is being played at his pace and it was his pass that split the Fulham defence and released Schurrle, who had ghosted into the Fulham area. He then shoots low across Stekelenburg, who once again has no chance. You have to fear for Fulham now.
69 minGOAL! FULHAM 0-3 CHELSEA (SCHURRLE)
69 minWhat a memorable afternoon for Schurrle, who has his first hat-trick in Chelsea colours. It starts with Torres, who wins a battle in the air with Burn. The Spanish striker then slots a pass through for Schurrle and he was not going to pass up the opportunity of beating Stekelenburg for a third time from 16 yards out. It's game over now.
74 minGOAL! FULHAM 1-3 CHELSEA (HEITINGA)
74 minWhat is it with Chelsea and defending corners right now? It's a routine clearance for the visiting defence, but they fail to do so and when the ball drops to Fulham's Heitinga, the centre-back prods the ball beyond a static Cech. Perhaps there is life in Fulham, we shall see.
78 minSUBSTITUTION: A sign that Mourinho is looking to keep what he has got as he brings off Oscar and puts on defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel.
80 minSUBSTITUTION: Final alteration of the match from Fulham boss Magath as he takes off Parker and introduces veteran Greek midfielder Giorgos Karagounis into the action.
83 minSAVE! Almost an instant impact from Karagounis as he wriggles himself free on the edge of the Chelsea box. Instead of crossing, he goes for goal and sees his shot take a slight deflection. It's not enough to put off Cech, though, who gets down to his near post quickly to hold. Moments later, Mourinho takes off Torres and throws on Demba Ba.
86 minTo be fair to Fulham, they are pushing Chelsea back, but there is a lack of quality about their play in the areas that really count. Despite the pressure, they are not giving off the impression that they are going to score.
88 minSUBSTITUTION: It's game over for Schurrle, who is given a huge applause by the travelling supporters as he exits the action. On in his place is David Luiz, who scored a great goal in this fixture last season.
90 minThere will be four minutes of stoppage time at the end of this West London derby.
90+4 minFULL TIME: FULHAM 1-3 CHELSEA
4.53pmThere goes the full time whistle and not only have Chelsea won, but Arsenal have lost at Stoke, meaning that the Blues are four points clear at the top of the table. What a day it has been for Mourinho and his players, perhaps a defining one as well.
4.54pmAs for Fulham, they remain bottom and the situation looks more desperate with every passing week right now. They travel to Cardiff next weekend - they simply need to win that match.
4.55pmThat is all we have time for from Craven Cottage. Thanks for joining us this afternoon and until next time, goodbye.
