Antonio Conte confirms David Luiz withdrawn as a precaution amid worries over Chelsea injuries

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Alex Young @alexwsyoung18 October 2017

Antonio Conte says David Luiz was substituted as a precaution as he did not want to risk further injuries to his Chelsea squad.

The defender - playing at the base of midfield on Wednesday - opened the scoring with a fine effort from distance in a stellar performance, only to be withdrawn before the hour mark.

Going off shaking his head, Luiz headed straight down the tunnel with the club doctor and Conte confirms the Brazilian had a calf complaint but the manager was unwilling to risk further damage.

"David Luiz had a little problem in his calf and in this moment I can't risk my players," Conte told reporters. "We are playing always the same players."

Conte also revealed Tiemoue Bakayoko is suffering from a groin issue.

He added: "[The result] was fair It was a difficult game against a good team. Above all in the first half we suffered, our performance was good but for sure our football is different than today.

"We suffered possession and it wasn't easy in the first half, despite scoring two goals. The change of the system wasn't good, but when you are in a difficult situation you have to change and sometimes to improvise.

"When we changed in the second half the situation was changing."

Chelsea are already missing N'Golo Kante and Victor Moses, while summer signing Danny Drinkwater is yet to make his debut due to a calf injury.