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Conte says benching Hazard was always part of the plan against Spurs

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FC's Steve Nicol analyses the high octane FA Cup semifinal between Chelsea and Spurs, and how Conte's subs made an impact.

LONDON -- Antonio Conte revealed that he always planned for Eden Hazard to make a decisive impact off the bench after the Belgium star's inspired second-half cameo secured Chelsea a 4-2 win over Tottenham in a thrilling FA Cup semifinal at Wembley.

Hazard and Diego Costa were surprisingly omitted from Chelsea's starting XI to take on their bitter London rivals, but both were introduced in the 61st minute with the score level at 2-2, after strikes from Harry Kane and Dele Alli had cancelled out Willian's first-half free kick and penalty.