Antonio Conte has insisted that Chelsea’s win over West Brom wasn’t easy despite the comfortable 4-0 scoreline.

Chelsea dominated from the start and their play bore fruit when they took the lead from an Alvaro Morata goal after Ben Foster parried Eden Hazard’s initial effort and the Spaniard was quick to latch on the opportunity. It got worse for the Baggies just six minutes later when Hazard got on the scoresheet and doubled the away side’s advantage after he took the ball around the goalkeeper to slot in the finish.




And the game was beyond West Brom’s reach even before it reached half time after Marcos Alonso volleyed in Cesc Fabregas' floated ball into the back post, which found the Baggies defence sleeping, to treble Chelsea’s lead.

The second half started in the similar patter with Chelsea dominating proceedings and Hazard scored his second of the afternoon when he curled in a sublime finish to get the fourth for the Blues just after the hour mark.
 


West Brom showed little fight after the break as Chelsea continued to pile on the pressure on the home side with calls for Tony Pulis’ removal echoing across the Hawthorns as the Baggies faithful lost their cool at the way their team have been meandering this season.  

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James McClean had the best chance to put West Brom on the scoresheet in the 82nd minute, but his shot was off the mark when he was one on one with Thibaut Courtois.

Conte was happy with the performance but stressed it was not as easy as the scoreline suggests and indicated his support for Pulis, insisting all his teams are tough to play against.

He is also happy to see Morata and Hazard developing a partnership and believes their fitness is playing a key role.

Conte told the BBC: "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. 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."

He added: "We performed very well. Morata and Hazard have a great link, they are now 100% fit, it is easy to forget that we started the season without Hazard."