Afternoon all. So, all the talk of going the season unbeaten is now over following Chelsea's defeat at Newcastle United. Here, they will look to return to winning ways with the visit of a struggling Hull City side to Stamford Bridge. The three points is crucially important to both sides, so let's hope the quality of the game reflects as much.

Right, before we look at this game in more detail, let's start with the team news, beginning with the home side...

CHELSEA XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Luis; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa

CHELSEA SUBS: Schwarzer, Zouma, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Schurrle, Remy, Drogba

Right, as we already knew, Chelsea are without key players Thibaut Courtois and Cesc Fabregas due to injury and suspension respectively. Courtois's absence has seen Petr Cech come in between the posts, while John Obi Mikel has retained his place in midfield. Elsewhere, Filipe Luis has replaced Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back, while Diego Costa will continue to the lead the attack, with Loic Remy and Didier Drogba both on the bench.

Before we turn attention to Hull, Cech has just been talking about his inclusion in the starting lineup to Sky Sports News: "I'm looking forward to it, I always want to play. Hopefully we will get the win because all that matters is three points."

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And now for how Hull will start this contest...

HULL XI: McGregor; Robertson, Davies, Dawson, Chester, Elmohamady; Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler, Aluko; Jelavic

HULL SUBS: Jakupovic, Rosenior, Bruce, Hernandez, Brady, Ramirez, Quinn

Steve Bruce has made three changes to his Hull side, one of which has seen Nikica Jelavic come in to the lead the attack at the expense of Abel Hernandez, who has dropped down to the bench. Andrew Robertson and Curtis Davies have also been restored to the team, with Liam Rosenior and Stephen Quinn dropping out. On the negative side, Mohamed Diame does not feature once again because of injury.

It seems that Bruce has reverted to a 3-5-2 formation, with Robertson and Elmohamady playing in the wing-back positions. Davies has been recalled as part of the three-man central defensive unit. So, it begs the question, will Hull be parking the bus? Speaking to Sky Sports News just now, Chelsea boss Mourinho expects a little bit more from today's opposition:

"To park the bus you need to be a good driver. Steve is a very good coach. His team is always very well organised. I don't think Hull are team to just defend, defend, defend. He has dangerous players and a bench with good solutions. It will be a difficult game for us."

Staying with Chelsea, let's get a little bit more from their goalkeeper Cech:

"We've been doing well recently and we hope to continue with that momentum in front of our own fans. You always look for a response when you lose a game; we need to win today and stay top of the league. We expect them to defend well, wait for chances and make it as hard as possible for us. We need to be ready."

Let's not leave Hull boss Bruce out, though! Here are the thoughts of the Hull boss from earlier in the week:

"When you go to Chelsea you have to play well and you have to work hard. That's because Chelsea will do exactly that. They're a terrific team that looked unbeatable, but after last weekend all of a sudden their lead is down to three points.

"In the scouting reports that we get, we usually try to highlight a couple of weaknesses. In the report for this weekend, there was nothing in the weaknesses column. We'll go there and enjoy it because you want to take on the best and they're as good as any team in Europe on their day. We want to go there and have a right good go. If we play well on the day, you never know."

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VIDEO PREVIEW: Right, those involved have had their say, so it's now time to hear the thoughts of the Sports Mole Sofa, namely Matt Law and Pascal Lemesre. Below, they look ahead to this contest:

As Pascal points out, Chelsea are without Fabregas today due to suspension. Since arriving from Barcelona in the summer, he's laid on 11 assists this season and is bound to be a huge miss. Yes, they do have Matic back from a ban, but neither he nor Mikel have Fabregas's creative quality from the centre of the pitch. It will be interesting to see if the likes of Oscar or Willian drop in to a more central position on occasions to cover his absence.

HEAD TO HEAD: Of course, were Hull to make the most of Fabregas's absence and win today, it would be their first ever victory at Stamford Bridge. On their previous 20 visits to West London, they've lost 15 and drawn five. In truth, if you offered them a sixth draw right now, they'd almost certainly snap your hands off!

STAT! Here's a statistic that doesn't bode too well for the away side, though.

7 - Petr Cech has not conceded a goal in any of his last seven Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge. Selected. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 13, 2014

PREDICTION: Let's throw my two pennies' worth into the ring as well. Can Hull realistically claim anything from this game? Of course, anything can happen, but it's very hard to look beyond Chelsea taking all three points. The loss of Fabregas will hurt them in a creative sense, but they still have the likes of Hazard, Oscar and Willian to load the bullets for Costa up front. If they are on form, Chelsea will win. Let's go for a routine 2-0 win, with Costa scoring both.

What would a win mean to both of these sides, then? A win or a draw would keep Chelsea top, with three points currently separating them and Man City in second. Incidentally, City are away at Leicester today. As for Hull, they are third from bottom, with a win lifting them out of the danger zone. Yet, if they were to lose and Burnley beat Southampton at Turf Moor, they could fall even further into trouble. With Christmas approaching, the relegation zone is not a good place to be.

Just under 15 minutes to go! The team have just completed their warm-up... https://t.co/tK2dvRxObn #CFC — Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) December 13, 2014

STAT! One more statistic before we get started. Hazard will certainly be key today:

Eden Hazard has completed more take-ons (70) & final-third passes (386) this season than any Premier League player. pic.twitter.com/PlBJwD9qqj — Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 13, 2014

Right, the players are in the tunnel and will soon be making their way out on to the pitch. Not long now until we are off and running at Stamford Bridge.

KICKOFF! Chelsea, attacking from right to left in this first half, get proceedings underway in West London. It's a big afternoon for both sides.

Some neat football from Chelsea early on as Ivanovic gets down the right flank, before he cuts the ball back for Willian. The Brazilian in turn picks out Luis on the edge of the box, but he is in two minds as whether to shoot or not. In the end, his chipped pass rolls easily through for McGregor.

Hull are not happy because Aluko is down with an injury, but Chelsea are not obliged to stop play and so they continue. Oscar crosses from the left and as the ball flies over Costa, Hazard of all people shows a great spring to head the ball in unmarked. Replays show that it was perhaps a foul on Aluko by Matic, but you've got to play to the whistle and Hull just stopped defending. Chelsea lead and it's a long way back already for the away side.

HULL SUB: And it goes from bad to worse for Hull boss Bruce. It looks like centre-back Dawson has pulled his hamstring and he cannot continue. On comes the manager's son, Alex.

They may not be creating too much, but Chelsea are dominating this encounter. It's almost like attack vs. defence out there, with Hazard in particular looking lively. If this continues, it will not be too long before a second goal is scored by the home side.

BOOKING! The first caution of the afternoon goes to Hull and their midfielder Huddlestone. It's a deserved booking as well because he was extremely late on Oscar over by the right touchline.

MATCH ACTION! Here's the moment that Hazard headed Chelsea into a 1-0 lead.

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CHANCE! It's a first meaningful opening for Hull, but Aluko has fluffed it. The attacker found himself with a bit of time and space on the edge of the area, but he fires well over the crossbar. That's a waste because Hull probably will not get many chances as good as that one.

Incidentally, Hazard's goal was just the second in the Premier League that he has scored with his head. For all the Belgian's qualities, heading is not one of them! It's really poor from Hull's point of view.

BOOKING! Another Hull midfielder goes into the book and on this occasion it's Meyler for deliberate handball inside the Chelsea penalty area. He protests his innocence, but it was a clear handball from the Irishman.

Chelsea have actually been wasteful in midfield in recent minutes, but Hull are not taking advantage of it. It's far too easy for the home side right now, although Mourinho on the touchline is not happy. He's demanding more from his players.

BOOKING! It's Chelsea's turn to see yellow as Willian goes down under a challenge from Davies. He wants a foul, but the Chelsea playmaker is cautioned for a dive. Replays show that it was the correct decision from referee Chris Foy.

All of a sudden, Hull are growing in confidence. Robertson has just swung two dangerous crosses into the Chelsea area, the second of which Jelavic beats Cahill and Terry to. However, under pressure, the Croatian is unable to keep his effort on target. Nevertheless, it's a big plus sign for the away team.

BOOKING! Chelsea centre-back Cahill is booked, although it could have quite easily been a red card. He raised his studs in a challenge with Aluko and caught the Hull attacker, who needs treatment. Luckily for the home side and Cahill, referee Foy takes a lenient view and only dishes out a yellow card when other officials may have handed out a sterner punishment.

To keep you up to date with what is happening in the Leicester vs. Man City match, the visitors have just taken the lead courtesy of former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. The champions are keeping hold of Chelsea's coattails at the moment.

There will be a minimum of two minutes of stoppage time at the end of this first half.

There goes the whistle and it's brought an end to what was not exactly the most inspiring first-halves of Premier League football you're ever likely to see. Chelsea lead, which from their point of view is the most important thing.

As mentioned just then, Chelsea are winning and that's vital of course, but Mourinho is bound to be disappointed with the standard of the performance. They've been sluggish in possession, with Fabregas proving to be a real miss. His creative quality cannot be underestimated, that's for sure. No doubt the Portuguese boss will be demanding much more from his men after the restart.

Meanwhile, Hull certainly showed signs towards the end of that half that they were growing in confidence. Early on it looked like it could have been a cricket score, but they weathered that storm and have actually had some good possession. If they can keep it tight for the first 15 minutes after the restart, introducing the pace and guile of Hernandez from the bench could prove beneficial.

MATCH ACTION! Before we get back underway, we showed you earlier how Hazard broke the deadlock. Well, here he is celebrating that goal.

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RESTART! Visiting Hull, who trail 1-0, get the action restarted at Stamford Bridge.

It's been a bright start from Hull, who win a free-kick in a dangerous area. Huddlestone whips the ball into the penalty box, but it's well cleared by Ivanovic.

CHANCE! Very neat interchange between Huddlestone, Aluko and Livermore ends with the latter of that trio going for goal from the edge of the area. His effort is low and has Cech scrambling across his goal, but the ball ends up drifting a yard or two wide of the target. Hull have certainly started this second half in positive mood.

Some would say Cahill was lucky to receive just a booking earlier. Well, he should have just been given another. The Chelsea centre-back has just taken a big dive in the Hull box, but referee Foy has opted to let him get away with it. That's a big let off for the defender.

BOOKING! Things are threatening to boil over a little here. Hull defender Bruce has just gone into the book for a sliding challenge on Oscar, with some Chelsea players seemingly demanding a red card. The replay shows that it wasn't even a foul, let alone a card. That's harsh on Bruce.

BOOKING! Another yellow card and the second to a Chelsea player for a dive. Costa goes down dramatically under half a challenge from Livermore and he's rightly booked. But, it begs the question, why did Foy not punish Cahill for the same offence? It seems that he bottled it because Cahill would have been sent for an early bath. Poor refereeing.

A red card has been coming and Huddlestone can have no excuses - what is he thinking?! Luis beats him to the ball, but instead of pulling out of the challenge, he plants his studs on the Chelsea left-back's leg. He was already on a booking, but the former Hull midfielder was rightly given a straight red card.

PENALTY APPEAL! It's all happening at Stamford Bridge! The home side want a penalty after the ball hits Chester on the hand, but that would have been harsh. The Hull defender wasn't even looking at the ball when it struck him. Thankfully, common sense prevails.

HULL SUB: Second change of the afternoon for Hull as the lively Aluko exits the action and is replaced by Robbie Brady, who will probably provide more cover defensively than the man that he has come on for.

BOOKING! Anyone got a calculator? I'm losing count of all these bookings! Hull defender Chester is the latest to go into the book for a blatant trip on Oscar.

Costa's 12th Premier League goal of the season has probably secured all three points for the home side. It's all about Hazard initially as he dummies beyond Meyler inside the area, before slotting a reverse pass into the path of Costa. His shot from eight yards out isn't the cleanest, but it has enough pace to beat a helpless McGregor. Game over? Surely it must be.

HULL SUB: Back from suspension and now back on the pitch, Gaston Ramirez has replaced Jelavic in what is Hull's third and final switch.

You get the feeling that Chelsea want to make the most of their advantage, rather than let the game simply dwindle to a conclusion. The likes of Hazard and Oscar are constantly probing for openings.

CHELSEA SUB: A decent showing from Oscar comes to an end as the Brazilian is replaced by veteran frontman Didier Drogba.

So close to a third for Chelsea as Ivanovic slips in Willian on the right side of the penalty area. His cut-back is deflected right across the face of goal, but Drogba is just a yard too short and the chance is gone.

CHELSEA SUB: Another switch by Mourinho, who brings off Willian and sends on World Cup-winner Andre Schurrle for the closing stages.

CHELSEA SUB: And another Chelsea change! Mourinho is obviously trying to keep me on my toes! Off comes Mikel and he has been replaced by Ramires.

MATCH ACTION! As the minutes tick down, here is an image of Costa burying his chance to put Chelsea 2-0 up.

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There will be three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this contest.

There goes the whistle and it tells us what we've known for some time - Chelsea have defeated Hull City 2-0 to remain three points clear at the top of the table. As for Hull, they have sunk to second from bottom as their run without a victory extends to nine matches.

That is all we have time for from Stamford Bridge. Thanks for joining us this afternoon and be sure to stick with Sports Mole over the course of the evening for reaction, analysis and player ratings from all of today's Premier League games.