Chelsea Boss Antonio Conte Heaps Praise on Eden Hazard After 4 Goal Rout at West Bromwich Albion

Speaking in his press conference following Chelsea's 4-0 victory against West Bromwich Albion, Antonio Conte has praised his talented squad and Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata in particular. 

Conte also spoke of his side's past difficulties against the Baggies and offered Tony Pulis some kind words after pundits have suggested Saturday's thrashing could be the final nail in the coffin of Pulis' tenure at the club.

After Pulis' side gave it a real go in the early stages of the game, having a goal disallowed in the fifth minute, the Blues settled into their stride and scored three goals before half time. 

There were boos from the home fans at half time before things went from bad to worse for the Baggies with Hazard making it four with half an hour left to play.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Conte said: "It was a good game. Last season we struggled twice against West Brom but we played really well. The game became easy but it wasn't. From the start of the season there is a lot of pressure on us, never mind Tony Pulis."

Pressure has been mounting on Pulis since the start of the season and after expectations were high following significant squad investment over the summer. The Baggies now sit 17th in the Premier League table having picked up only 10 points from 12 games. 

In regard to Pulis' position at the club, Conte said: "Every team has pressure. They are a good team and they can find the right solution. Tony Pulis is a really good manager with great experience. He was the manager of many teams and his team is very difficult to face, always."

Conte also heaped praise on his star players, Hazard and Morata, saying: "We performed very well. Morata and Hazard have a great link, they are now 100 per cent fit, it is easy to forget that we started the season without Hazard."

Conte's side now sit second in the league, nine points behind leaders Manchester City, and look the most likely to catch up with Pep Guardiola's side. 

Chelsea now face FK Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday night before travelling to Anfield on Saturday for a heavyweight encounter against Liverpool.