Chelsea
head coach Antonio Conte feared Eden Hazard would be seriously injured
during a fiery 1-0 FA Cup win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
N'Golo Kante scored the only goal after Ander Herrera was sent off for two
bookable offences for fouls on Hazard.
In what was a physical encounter at Stamford Bridge, Hazard in particular
came in for punishment and Conte called for the Belgium international to
receive protection from officials - a call Jose Mourinho has made
previously, when he was Chelsea manager.
"For Hazard, (for) 20, 25 minutes it was impossible to play football,
because he received only kicks," Conte said in his post-match press
conference.
"A tactic to play and go to kick an opponent? It's not football for me. I
don't think that I'm crazy and I see only him in this situation.
"Sometimes when you play against players with great talent, you try to
intimidate those players.
"The referee must protect these type of players. When they go out with a bad
injury...
"It's very dangerous to receive a kick from the back."
In what was a fiery contest, Conte and Mourinho had to be separated by
fourth official Mike Jones as the Italian took exception to United's heavy
challenges.
"What happened on the outside for me is only (a) circus," Conte added. "The
coaches are not important."
However, Conte did praise the fourth official, saying: "He was very good to
manage this situation, but for sure it's normal when you play this type of
game."
Conte and Mourinho did eventually shake hands in the tunnel after the final
whistle, as Chelsea advanced to the semi-finals where they will face
Tottenham at Wembley.
Chelsea beat Tottenham in December, but Spurs ended their 13-match Premier
League winning streak at White Hart Lane on January 4.
"We start with one win for us and one win for them," Conte said. "For sure
it'll be an interesting game, very strong for both teams."
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