Eden Hazard at the double as Chelsea come from behind to seal comfortable win over Newcastle

That is all for this particular blog, but stick with IBTimes UK for live coverage of a six-strong slate of 15.00 GMT kick-offs that includes Brighton vs Liverpool and Watford vs Tottenham.

We will also be bringing you that heavyweight clash between Arsenal and Manchester United this evening.

A comfortable afternoon in the end for Chelsea, who move level on points with second-place Manchester United before Jose Mourinho's side face Arsenal later on today.

Hazard's 79th and 80th goals for Chelsea means he has now drawn level with the great Gianfranco Zola on the club's list of all-time top scorers.

It was a predictably unhappy return to Stamford Bridge for Benitez, who must find a way to cure Newcastle's away-day blues.

Full-time

Chelsea 3-1 Newcastle

Kante concedes possession with an uncharacteristic moment of carelessness and Shelvey is unable to punish him, drilling a long-range shot into the stands.

Beaten Newcastle force a late corner that is headed over the top by Clark. Three minutes of stoppage time have been indicated by the fourth official.

Merino makes way for Yedlin and Ritchie, who gave away the penalty earlier in this second half, has to move fast to stop Drinkwater from applying the finishing touch to Kante's lofted pass forward.

Chelsea are looking to add further gloss to the scoreline late on, with both full-backs attempting to get in on the act. Moses has a shot blocked by Clark after Alonso's initial effort is saved.

Newcastle then launch a rare counter-attack, although Murphy cannot make much of it.

Chelsea's final change sees Cahill replace Christensen.

Hazard's latest strike is blocked by Lejeune.

There will be no treble today as the former PFA Player of the Year is replaced by Willian and receives a standing ovation as he walks towards the touchline.

Conte also withdraws Fabregas in favour of Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Shelvey is caught in possession, Morata slips in Hazard and Darlow denies the brilliant Belgian his hat-trick.

Benitez moves to replace Diame with Shelvey. Too little, too late.

It's a measure of Hazard's supreme confidence as he embarrasses Darlow with a cheeky Panenka. Game, set and match Chelsea.

It is Antonin Panenka 69th birthday today, by the way...

Goal: Chelsea 3-1 Newcastle (Eden Hazard)

Fabregas slides a pass into the right channel, where a sprinting Moses is taken down by Ritchie.

No arguments from the Newcastle winger as Friend points to the spot. Hazard to take...

Penalty to Chelsea

Newcastle are unable to get any service whatsoever up towards Gayle. Changes are needed, and fast.

Hazard gets beyond Mbemba after a inventive return pass from Drinkwater. However, the ball spins away from him at the crucial moment and Darlow is relieved to see it go behind for a goal kick.

Moses' header from an Azpilicueta cross is saved by Darlow. The Newcastle 'keeper is also equal to another shot from Hazard, who again winds his way through the Newcastle backline.

Another incisive Chelsea passing move breaks down when Drinkwater's early ball for Hazard is overhit.

The hosts still well on top here, but won't feel comfortable until they get that decisive third goal.

Perez angles a driven shot across the six-yard box and wide before seeing his number held up by the fourth official. He makes way for Hayden.

Perez blocks from Moses. The excellent Hazard then weaves his way past Mbemba and Lejeune and into the six-yard box but cannot find the finish that would surely put this game beyond Newcastle.

He feels he was nudged by Clark. No penalty.

Chelsea earn another corner before Hazard's 20-yard strike is deflected wide by Clark with Darlow wrong-footed.

Chelsea apply more pressure straight from the restart, with Moses supplying a dangerous cross after a surging run from Christensen and Hazard also peppering the six-yard box.

Morata lurking with menace.

Chelsea get us back off and running in west London. No changes from either Conte or Benitez just yet.

After an early scare, Chelsea have well and truly taken control of this game and are good value for their lead at the interval.

Newcastle began on the front foot and put themselves ahead, but have once again been let down by some pretty wretched, careless defending.

Benitez urged his side to learn their lessons from that 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford. They certainly do not appear to have done that.

Half-time

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

Morata is clearly felled by Diame just outside the Newcastle penalty area. However, he gets nothing as the referee instead blows his whistle for half-time.

Clark receives the first yellow card of the day for a cynical trip on the rampaging Hazard.

Christensen and Morata keep the free-kick alive before Rudiger dispatches an effort wide.

Lejeune wins a corner off Alonso that is cleared by Chelsea.

Two minutes of added time signalled at the end of this first half.

Morata tries to play in Drinkwater but Mbemba gets his foot to the ball first.

The amount of space being afforded to Chelsea in midfield just at the moment is ridiculous. Fabregas and Drinkwater getting plenty of time to manoeuvre.

The influential Fabregas looks to release Hazard once more but this time Mbemba manages to outmuscle the Belgian and allow Darlow to collect the loose ball.

Lejeune beats Fabregas to an Alonso cross and Drinkwater fails to test Darlow with an ambitious strike from distance.

Chelsea work the ball out right to Moses, who stands up Ritchie before delivering an enticing cross that is confidently headed in by Morata from close range.

The Spanish striker was being marked by Chancel Mbemba, who went down claiming he had received a push in the back. His appeals go unheard.

Goal: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle (Alvaro Morata)

A reminder that Newcastle lost 4-1 at Manchester United after Gayle put them in front early on...

Chelsea push forward in search of a second goal as Hazard tries to create some space on the edge of the box after a short corner. Moses' mishit cross is booted clear by Merino.

Chelsea had responded well to that early setback and get their reward by equalising just eight minutes later.

After an Azpilicueta cross is blocked by Lejeune, Hazard responds quickest with a half-volley into the ground that loops over Darlow.

Honours even at the Bridge.

Goal: Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle (Eden Hazard)

Morata, who looked to have come from an offside position, moves to connect with a long pass from N'Golo Kante.

This time his penalty appeals are more justified as he is clattered by Darlow. Nothing given.

Christensen then comes within a whisker of levelling the score as he crashes a header against the post.

Fabregas drops an inch-perfect pass over the head of Florian Lejeune and it takes a superb stop from Darlow to deny Hazard.

Morata's brief calls for a penalty are waved away by referee Friend.

Chelsea attempt to secure a swift equaliser but Andreas Christensen heads a Fabregas corner well over the crossbar.

Just as he did at Old Trafford last month, Gayle gives Newcastle an early lead in a high-profile away fixture. And what a gift it is after a long ball forward causes Chelsea all sorts of problems.

The striker fires into an empty net after Courtois dives at Murphy's feet following an errant touch from Alonso.

First blood to the visitors. Questions of handball in the build-up?

Goal: Chelsea 0-1 Newcastle (Dwight Gayle)

Morata whistles a first-time shot over the crossbar with the outside of his boot after Hazard chests down a sweeping pass forward from Fabregas.

Ayoze Perez looks to capitalise on a rare error from Azpilicueta, producing a back-heeled pass to tee up compatriot Mikel Merino for a tame shot that is easily held by Thibaut Courtois.

Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Drinkwater all combine to good effect around the Newcastle box, but the latter's cross is turned away by Ciaran Clark.

Chelsea keep the attack alive, only for Moses to be caught offside.

A positive start for Newcastle, with the hosts looking just a little ragged. Matt Ritchie's cross intended for Jacob Murphy is headed away by Antonio Rudiger.

Referee Kevin Friend gets the first Premier League contest of the weekend underway. Both sides are decked out in their familiar home strips.

Inevitably quizzed about his time at Chelsea in the build-up to this game, Benitez, who was eventually replaced by Jose Mourinho, had this to say...

All the feedback that I had from the professionals and the board was very positive. They couldn't manage with what happened with some fans.

Most fans realised the best way was to stay calm and let us do our job. We achieved what they were expecting.

In the end, they had to decide and decided they had to change. Initially, he [Roman Abramovich] brought me to save the team and to achieve what we did achieve. Afterwards, they thought they had to change and they did.

A teenager in the Czech Republic put on Twitter that I once said I would never manage Chelsea, but that is simply not true. Then this story was created.

My relationship with Abramovich was really good, with the people of the board was really good. They knew that we were professionals and we were doing our job. We were achieving what they expected.

We won the Europa League. Everything was fine. The majority of fans were happy. But maybe some of them, because of my past with Liverpool, they were unhappy.

Conte's touchline behaviour has been a major point of discussion this week after the passionate Italian was sent to the stands against Swansea and subsequently handed an FA misconduct charge.

Speaking yesterday, he confirmed he would accept the charge and pay the £8,000 fine but hinted that it would not lead to a change in his approach.

He also once again complained about Chelsea's fixture list, hinting that he believed there was some kind of conspiracy against his side as they once again come up against a team that played a day earlier in the week.

It's difficult to think it's a coincidence. This is the fourth time. If someone wants to joke with me I'm not the right person to joke with.

Once it can happen. Twice it can happen. The third time, you start to be perplexed. In only 14 games [it has happened] four times. Every team has this type of situation. But from start of the season, I don't know, I see only Chelsea to have this type of situation.

I don't want advantages. If we have to play every two days, I'm ready. But we need to have the same rest as our opponents, then we see what happens. Is it difficult to do this? I don't think so. It is a strange coincidence.

Three alterations from Benitez, who replaces DeAndre Yedlin, Isaac Hayden and Joselu with Javier Manquillo, Mohamed Diame and Dwight Gayle.

Darlow continues in goal at the expense of Elliot. The Republic of Ireland international is once again listed among the substitutes, as are Jonjo Shelvey and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Conte makes four changes to the side that eventually made their dominance count in the second half against Swansea, with Azpilicueta and Victor Moses replacing skipper Gary Cahill and Davide Zappacosta.

It is the latter's first start since he suffered a hamstring tear in October.

Danny Drinkwater and Hazard also come in for Pedro and Willian, while Batshuayi is deemed fit enough for a spot on the bench.

Official team news coming up in just a couple of minutes. Stand by.

Captain Jamaal Lascelles (ankle) and long-term absentee Paul Dummett (hamstring) are still out for Newcastle, while Christian Atsu (thigh) is also unavailable to feature against the club he left on a permanent basis during the summer.

However, Benitez confirmed on Friday that the trio were closing in on their respective returns.

"I had a conversation with Atsu, Lascelles and Dummett and they are very close," he said. "We didn't take them for this game because the other players were doing well and it makes no sense to take any risks."

The Spaniard also made five changes on Tuesday, including dropping first-choice goalkeeper Rob Elliot in favour of Karl Darlow. We will find out shortly if that was simply a one-off decision or part of a more permanent plan moving forward.

Chelsea remain without David Luiz for this afternoon's game. The Brazilian defender, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid this week, was absent against Swansea due to a build-up of fluid on his knee.

He has now commenced treatment and it remains to be seen exactly how much more time he will miss.

Charly Musonda is also sidelined with a knee problem, while Michy Batshuayi (ankle) and Kenedy (muscle injury) are unlikely to be involved despite both returning to first-team training this week.

Regulars Cesar Azpilicueta and Eden Hazard should return to the starting XI after being benched in midweek as part of Conte's rotational policy during a busy period of fixtures.

The return of the "Interim One".

Rafael Benitez heads back to Chelsea today for the first time since 2012-13, when he was appointed as the club's temporary manager following the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo despite remaining an unpopular figure with a large section of the fanbase owing to his part in a rivalry with former employers Liverpool that raged throughout the 2000s.

The subsequent seven months proved to be predictably stormy, with the Spaniard, who lost his rag in a memorable press conference at Middlesbrough, remaining persona non grata with many fans despite steadying the ship after a woeful start to the campaign, securing a third-place finish and winning the Europa League in addition to reaching the semi-finals of both domestic cup competitions.

Today he is back at Stamford Bridge with a Newcastle side that showed plenty of spirit in midweek to fight back from a two-goal deficit to claim a point at West Brom and halt a run of four straight defeats - Benitez's worst losing sequence as a top-flight manager.

Winners of only one of their last nine league games after a positive start to their maiden campaign back at this level after a one-year sojourn in the Championship, the Toon will attempt to end a stretch of 18 away Premier League matches without a victory and summon the spirit of May 2012, when two sensational goals from Papiss Cisse secured their first triumph on this ground for 26 years.

They have failed to take three points on any of their other last 21 trips to these parts, however, while Benitez has been victorious on only one of 12 visits as an opposition manager.

It would be a surprise to see them take down a third-place Chelsea side that went unbeaten throughout November after toppling Swansea in midweek and have won five of their last six in the league, keeping plenty of clean sheets along the way.

With Manchester City not in action until tomorrow and plenty of winnable games coming up between now and the New Year, this is their chance to start attempting to bridge the gap to the dominant leaders that now stands at 11 points.