EPL: Conte reveals why he removed Hazard early in Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Leicester City

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte has revealed why he brought Eden Hazard off the pitch with 30 minutes remaining in his side’s goalless draw with Leicester on Saturday.

The Blues went into the Stamford Bridge clash off the back of three successive draws in all competitions and the champions were nowhere near their best against Leicester City.

Hazard struggled to make an impact in the game and was replaced by Pedro in the 58th minute of the Premier League encounter.

Hazard has been substituted ten times in the league this season; more than any other Chelsea player.

When asked after the match about his decision to bring Hazard and Cesc Fabregas off, the Italian said, “I saw them and they were very tired.

He added, “I think that honestly that to find an excuse or alibi we paid a lot for the Arsenal game.

“To play Wednesday night and then against a really good team after only two days and a half. It was almost the same team against Arsenal.

“That was my plan. I saw a lot of players very tired. We suffered a lot in the first half in the start of the second half. The fresh energy changed the game and we created chances to score.

“We tried to win the game. At the end, the result was not fair.”