Chelsea boss Antonio Conte defended his substitution of Marcos Alonso during victory over Stoke City.

Alonso looked fortunate not to be sent off after catching Biram Mame Diouf shortly after a late tackle on Joe Allen had earned him a yellow card.

Shortly after the Spaniard was let off with a warning from referee Mike Dean, Conte replaced him with Gary Cahill after 59 minutes with the visitors leading 2-0.

"Honestly it was a tactical substitution because Mark Hughes brought on Peter Crouch and as you know very well we all always suffer with him," said the Italian.

When it was pointed out that Crouch actually entered the field two minutes after Alonso's departure, the Italian gestured towards his eyes.

"I saw he was ready," said Conte. "I was prepared for this substitution in my mind to win the game. We were winning but Crouch coming on is a new situation.

"I preferred to reinforce our defensive line with Gary Cahill and to move Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta) to wing-back."