Luiz grateful to work with Chelsea boss Conte

Eden Hazard may have stepped off the bench to inspire Chelsea to the FA Cup final but David Luiz has been quick to heap the praise on the role played by Antonio Conte.

The Chelsea manager had initially opted to rest Hazard, along with Diego Costa, for their semi-final match with Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday.

(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

He brought the duo on just past the hour mark though with Spurs having pulled level for the second time in the match.

Hazard’s strike then put Chelsea ahead before Nemanja Matic made it 4-2 and ensured a return trip to Wembley for the Blues, where they will face Arsenal in the final.

For Conte, it was a return to winning ways after he had admitted personal responsibility for their Premier League defeat to Manchester United – a game in which they were tactically outplayed.

But Luiz was quick to come to the defence of his boss in the wake of their semi-final win, insisting his own personal development had been aided by the Italian.

“He’s a fantastic person before a fantastic manager, so we talk a lot, every day, because we have a great relationship,’ said Luiz, who marked his 30th birthday by producing a man-of-the-match performance against Spurs.

“We try to give our best for our club and he tries to help me with his intelligence for football to improve my football so I am very happy to work with him. He did an amazing job in this game.

“Everybody belongs at this fantastic club, so it doesn’t matter who starts. Everybody has the quality to play.

‘This was a tough game, against top players in a special competition so it was a great atmosphere for everybody. At the end of the day we are happy because we won against a fantastic team.”