A half dominated by Chelsea ends all square after the Blues failed to capitalise on an abundance of chances. Andre Schurrle, who was excellent throughout, put his side 1-0 up, before Ramires, in particular, enjoyed a string of chances to double that lead.
45 +2
What an end to this half we have had...
45 +1
BRILLIANT DEFENDING! Shawcross throws himself in front of the ball to stop a possible goal for the visitors!
45
That Crouch equaliser has given this game a lease of new life. Stoke looked down and out but, all of a sudden, they look more than capable of even taking the lead here. Chelsea will rue their missed chances.
44
Now both sides look for another goal before the break!
42
Marko Arnautovic
42
GOAL Peter CrouchGOAL! Crouch equalises for Stoke! After being outplayed all half, the Potters are back on level terms after their target man takes advantage of some slack defending and fires home. The hosts had won a corner after Ireland's miss and Petr Cech came off his line to claim it but made a mess of things - and Crouch capitalised.
42
MISS! Stoke clear the corner and hit the visitors on the break straight away! And what a chance that comes from it for Ireland! Walters plays the cross in but Ireland completely misses his diving header!
41
Ivanovic wins a corner for the Blues now! Will they grab a second goal before half-time? It is Muniesa who gets the clearance for the home side. He has been a bright spark for Stoke so far.
39
Ramires shoots once again! It is on target this time but straight into Asmir Begovic's arms.
38
Will Ashley Cole ever reclaim his spot at left-back if Azpilicueta carries on like this?
37
HEADER! Stoke enjoy a rare chance! It is Jonathan Walters who heads just wide for the Potters. He was put off by great defending from Azpilicueta.
35
Great football from Chelsea! Hazard, Mata and Schurrle all link up to superb effect. But Cahill is the weak link once again! The centre-back thumps a long ball upfield and it goes way over Cesar Azpilicueta's head and out for a throw. Shocking!
33
Chelsea are playing with real pace and fluency. Is this the style of play Roman Abramovich always wanted from his side?
31
Danger averted. The England defender would do well to show more concentration, however.
30
But Gary Cahill gives the ball away under pressure from Crouch!
29
Stoke have enjoyed their most adventurous moment in a while... Chelsea have a goal kick.
28
OVER! Ramires fires over once again. Unsurprisingly, it is Schurrle who plays the Brazilian in and, in fairness to him, Ramires has a lot to do. If he hits the target, he is almost guaranteed to score. But his effort sails over the bar.
27
Nevertheless, he gets back up quickly and resumes his work. This has been a convincing display from Schurrle, showing the strength and depth on offer in this magnificent Chelsea squad.
26
It really has been comfortable for Mourinho's side so far. Mata and Hazard now look to come inside. Schurrle is also making a great impact, although his most recent contribution sees him brought down without winning a free kick.
24
Chelsea still ahead here and they look keen on doubling their lead.
22
Schurrle now wins possession from Whelan, playing in Hazard, who in turn plays in Torres. Several passes ensue - but a wonderful move ends up with Branislav Ivanovic wasting his shot on goal.
21
Still, Stoke have enjoyed the majority of possession in the last few minutes, with the Blues having Terry to thank - yet again - for his latest defensive clearance.
20
Chelsea fans are sitting in the away end singing "Where's your famous atmosphere?" It has certainly been a good day for the visitors so far.
18
Charlie Adam 
Stephen IrelandCharlie Adam's game is over. He has been limping ever since he went down injured and Stephen Ireland is the man to replace him.
17
POOR! Whelan now has a shot for the hosts but it hits his own player!
16
TERRY TO THE RESCUE! Former England centre-back Terry has been a rock at the back for Chelsea so far. A Stoke half-chance has just been cleared by him again, making it at least his third important block of the game so far.
14
Glenn Whelan and Marc Muniesa link up well to try and stop the onslaught, although nothing special comes out of their efforts.
12
Juan Mata is now taking his turn to run at the Stoke defence. It could be a long afternoon for the hosts - and how will yet another defeat (if things stay the same) affect Hughes' situation? The Potters are in terrible form at the moment.
10
There was controversy, however, as Charlie Adam was down injured. The referee did not stop play and Adam did not receive treatment. How will Hughes react to that, one wonders?
9
John Obi Mikel
9
GOAL Andre SchürrleGOAL! Schurrle! I did say he has seen plenty of the ball and he has now shown his worth! The German took full advantage of his first opportunity to run at the Stoke defence, surging forward and placing the ball into the bottom corner.
8
Apart from that one half-chance for the home side, Chelsea look comfortable here. Schurrle and Jon Obi Mikel have seen plenty of the ball in midfield, although the amount of fouls is perhaps something being dictated by Stoke.
7
After a few headers here and there, it is Terry who once again clears. It only goes as far out as Marko Arnautovic, however, though he cannot capitalise on the opening.
6
Geoff Cameron wins a free kick for Stoke now. Nothing too dangerous but a long ball is delivered into the area by Shawcross.
4
OVER! Andre Schurrle plays a superb pass to Ramires, though the Brazilian fires over from nine yards out. Chances already for Mourinho's side. Worrying times for the hosts?
3
Ryan Shawcross now plays it long up to Peter Crouch (no surprises there) but John Terry intervenes.
2
Fernando Torres wins the first corner of the match for Chelsea, although nothing comes of it. The Blues are just warming up, it seems.
1
And we're off at the Britannia Stadium!
And our referee is Jonathan Moss! Kick-off is a few minutes away, so stay with us for all the action.
Substitutes: Schwarzer, Cole, Essien, Lampard, De Bruyne, Ba, Eto'o.
And visitors Chelsea will line up like this: Cech; Ivanovic, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry; Mikel, Schurrle, Ramires, Mata, Hazard; Torres.
Substitutes: Sorensen, Pennant, Palacios, Jones, Assaidi, Wilkinson, Ireland
So let's look at today's teams. We'll start with hosts Stoke City: Begovic; Cameron, Muniesa, Shawcross, Wilson; Wilson, Walters, N'Zonzi, Adam; Arnautovic; Crouch.
For Stoke, however, there is no talk of titles. A torrid run of results has ensured that simply staying up would be good enough for Hughes' side. And a result today would be vital towards that end. Especially since the Potters have won just once in their last 11 league games.
Today's game sees Jose Mourinho's side go in search of their fourth Premier League win in a row, with a charge for top spot looking on the cards. Arsenal currently lead the proceedings with a four-point lead, although they are not in action until tomorrow. So Chelsea could close that gap to just one point with a win this afternoon.
Good afternoon and welcome to live-text commentary of Stoke City against title-hunting Chelsea! I'm your host Tim Poole and I'll be guiding you through the action today, so sit back and enjoy the show as Mark Hughes looks to give Stoke their first win over the Blues since 1975.
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