Under pressure from the chasing pack and rocked on their heels by a Charlie Adam bolt from the blue, Chelsea showed cool heads to extend their Premier League to seven points on Saturday with a 2-1 home win over Stoke City.
Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino scored in each half to give Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win over Lazio on Wednesday that secured them top spot in Champions League Group E, the first time since 2016 that they had reached the knockouts as group winners.
Irresistible Chelsea go into the Christmas round of fixtures knowing they can end the year by re-writing the record books.
The Ivorian apologised for his behaviour which the German Football League described on Twitter as "absolutely unacceptable" and which some media suggested could even hamper the Bundesliga's hopes of re-starting after the coronavirus outbreak.
Chelsea will pay 30 million euros ($33.54 million) for the player, three of which will be based on performance, the Spanish champions said on their website.
He will become Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's second signing following the arrival of Germany forward Andre Schuerrle from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen last month.
Premier League clubs spend $1 billion for first time in January transfer window
Chelsea moved within two points of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League after a 1-0 victory over Liverpool thanks to an Olivier Giroud header at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The club spokesman said no immediate announcement would be made on Ranieri's successor, but added the club expected to say something within the next 48 hours.
The Chelsea captain signed a revised five-year contract to stay with the English Premier League club until 2009.
Striker Didier Drogba scored on his debut as Chelsea won 3-0 in the Champions World Series.
CFR Cluj will create the upset of the season if they avoid defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday and help stop last season's beaten finalists advancing to the last 16 of the Champions League. Chelsea have already failed to beat Cluj in the competition having drawn 0-0 in their first meeting in Group A in Romania in October.
Chelsea's Jose Mourinho, who hoped to celebrate his new contract with victory at an expectant Stamford Bridge, ended up grateful his team did not become the first Premier League champions to start their title defence with a defeat.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte got the upper hand on Jose Mourinho for the second time this season as his double-chasing side beat 10-man Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to reach the FA Cup semi-finals on Monday.
Leeds chairman Ken Bates reported Chelsea to the FA on August 2 over alleged illegal approaches to players.
John Terry will pass into Chelsea folklore as their greatest captain during the most successful period in their history and his announcement on Sunday that he will leave at the end of the season marks the end of an era.
Koopmeiners leads Atalanta past Milan into Coppa semis
Chelsea clinched their first Premier League title for five years with a 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace at a jubilant Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
A goal in added time by Diego Costa earned Chelsea a 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday and preserved Guus Hiddink's unbeaten record while denying Dutch compatriot Louis van Gaal victory.
Chelsea have signed Stoke City's Bosnian international goalkeeper Asmir Begovic on a four-year contract, the Premier League champions confirmed on Monday.
Chelsea have agreed a fee with Paris Saint-Germain for the return of Brazil international defender David Luiz, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday. "The move is now subject to him agreeing personal terms and passing a medical," said a statement on the club website (www.chelseafc.com). PSG paid a reported 50 million pounds ($65.59 million), a world record fee for a defender, when Luiz moved to west London in June 2014.
Chelsea and Manchester City tightened their stranglehold on the Premier League title race on Saturday, recording victories over struggling clubs to stretch further clear of their increasingly forlorn pursuers.
The 21-year-old Denmark international has made 22 appearances for the English champions this term having cemented his place at the heart of Antonio Conte's three-man defence.
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas said the uncompromising attitude to hard work of incoming manager Antonio Conte is exactly what is needed to galvanize the outgoing Premier League champions.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Antonio Conte have been charged by the Football Association (FA) following their confrontation after Sunday's heated Premier League draw at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek had a Europa League night to remember by scoring the first hat-trick of his career as the midfielder inspired them to a 3-1 home win over Belarus champions BATE Borisov on Thursday.
The Colombian forward is heading to Italian champions Juventus on loan.
Eden Hazard underlined his claims to be voted Player of the Year with another match-winning display as Premier League leaders Chelsea stormed 10 points clear with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday.
If Manchester United are to claim a seventh successive Premier League victory and condemn leaders Chelsea to a first home league defeat of the season their manager Louis van Gaal must solve another complex injury puzzle.
For the second time in five weeks, Chelsea have been fined for failing to control their players
Chelsea have expressed regret over their handling of allegations against referee Mark Clattenburg after a Premier League match last month, the club said on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
'We lost two games but these two games were totally different. Against Crystal Palace we didn't deserve to lose. Today we deserved to lose the game'
Manchester City suffered their first home Premier League loss in eight months as a shock 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday left Pep Guardiola's champions trailing leaders Liverpool by four points.
Former United States first daughter Chelsea Clinton got married to her long time boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky in what was being billed as the 'wedding of the millennium' in a beautiful ceremony in the quaint town of Rhinebeck in New York.
Chelsea enjoyed a somewhat fortuitous return to winning ways when they beat Aston Villa on Saturday but their fragile self-confidence will face a far more severe test at Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Tuesday.
England centre back Gary Cahill is so frustrated by a lack of first-team football at Chelsea that he wants to leave the club in an attempt to safeguard his international place at the European Championship in the summer.
'We are a team and a group on the pitch. Of course, it's our responsibility what happened.'
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