LONDON, Dec 13: Third-placed Chelsea put in a determined performance as they returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-1 win at Huddersfield Town in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Goals from Tiemoue Bakayoko, Willian and Pedro put Chelsea 3-0 ahead after 50 minutes before Huddersfield got a late consolation through substitute Laurent Depoitre.
Chelsea are level on points with second-placed Manchester United, who host Bournemouth on Wednesday.
�A good win,� Conte told BT Sport. �From the start we played good football.�
Upwardly mobile Burnley are one place below Chelsea in fourth after edging Antonio Conte�s 1-0, while Crystal Palace hauled themselves off the foot of the table with two late goals in a dramatic 2-1 defeat of Watford.
Antonio Conte, who has cut an increasingly grumpy figure this season, said after Chelsea�s surprise 1-0 defeat at West Ham United that his side had no chance of catching leaders Manchester City in the title race.
For Chelsea�s fourth game of nine in a packed December, Conte was without his 10-goal top scorer Alvaro Morata because of a bad back, but Eden Hazard shone as a false nine and was ably supported by Willian and Pedro.
�I have decided for this solution,� said the Chelsea manager.
�It�s not the first time to play with these type of players � Hazard, Willian, Pedro. I think they are very good technically. They are very fast. They played very well.�
The visitors thought they had made the breakthrough in the sixth minute, but Pedro was just offside as he ran clear to slot in Willian�s pass.
But Chelsea made their superiority count as they took the lead midway through the first half.
Goalkeeper Jonas Lossl slipped as he cleared the ball and Victor Moses�s header was touched on stylishly by Hazard to Willian.
The Brazilian fed a pass left for Bakayoko to chip over the advancing goalkeeper and into the net despite Chris Lowe�s attempt to clear off the line. The champions got their second goal two minutes before half-time. Stand-in captain Cesar Azpilicueta�s long diagonal pass from inside his own half found Marcos Alonso in space on the left and he had time to cross for Willian to bounce in a header at the far post. � Agencies
