Antonio Conte explains Tiemoue Bakayoko substitution vs Leicester City

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has explained the reason behind Tiemoue Bakayoko's early substitution against Leicester City on Sunday.

The France international made his first appearance for the Blues in over a month, but his yellow card prior to the break influenced Conte to make a tactical decision.

The 48-year-old replaced Bakayoko with Cesc Fabregas after the interval, and they still managed to overcome the Foxes by a 2-1 scoreline in added extra-time.

Speaking after the game, Conte admitted that he was wary of Bakayoko of being sent off after a previous occurence against Watford in the Premier League last month.

"I think it was a decision because he took a yellow card and, as you know very well, we are talking about a player with great physicality," he is quoted as saying by Evening Standard. "In a game like this, you have to prevent and try to avoid a second yellow card. Only for this reason I decided to change him after the first half."

The victory over Leicester ensured Chelsea's progress to the semi-final stage of the FA Cup where they will face Southampton, who are now under the tutelage of Mark Hughes.