Antonio Conte Slams Manchester United's Eden Hazard Tactics After Chelsea Tie

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has criticised Manchester United's tactics after the treatment they gave Blues winger Eden Hazard during Monday's FA Cup quarter-final win over the Red Devils.

Conte's side defeated United 1-0 to reach the last four of the competition, but the Italian was incensed with the tough-tackling nature of United's approach to restraining Hazard, per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC:

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I don't know. But this tactic, to play by going to kick the opponent, does not exist. It's not football for me. I don't think this can be a tactic. This is the truth.

Everyone saw this. I think sometimes, when you play against players with great talent, you try and intimidate these players. I think the referee must protect this type of player. Then, [what if] they are put out with a bad injury?

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It was Hazard's dribbling that twice drew fouls from United midfielder Ander Herrera in the opening 35 minutes, which resulted in the Spaniard receiving two yellows and a red from referee Michael Oliver.

That being said, Hazard was praised by his boss for illustrating the ideal response to any apparent harsh treatment, the same response one would hope to see from most players, with their play doing the talking:

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This is my reply to the question. Hazard, for 25 minutes, it was impossible for him to play football. Only kicking. He showed great character. Strong character. It's very difficult and dangerous to receive a kick from behind. But he showed great character. I know this. Someone can be surprised by Hazard's character.

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In the end, an out-of-character shot from outside the box courtesy of N'Golo Kante was enough to separate the two teams, and Hazard completed an impressive seven dribbles of an attempted nine, per WhoScored.com.

Conte was happy to show his true feelings to United counterpart Jose Mourinho just after Herrera's second lashing out at Hazard, too, as the pair got into a war of words on the touchline, as shown by Squawka News:

Although young Marcus Rashford—deputising for the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic—had one excellent chance, Chelsea ultimately looked fairly comfortable for the win against 10-man opposition.

And not only that, but Goal's Nizaar Kinsella highlighted Hazard's in particular as one of the major instigators in sealing their triumph:

Conte is perhaps coming to grips with some nuances of English football, although referee Oliver did also encounter some criticism for his performance in the quarter-final at Stamford Bridge.

Broadcaster Richard Keys was quick to offer a counter-argument to the protection being offered to Hazard, citing the foul count as reason to believe United perhaps weren't as cruel as some would suggest:

Chelsea's reward for their 1-0 victory is a semi-final meeting against high-flying Tottenham Hotspur, a team now posing a challenge in both their Premier League and FA Cup campaigns.

Conte's men find themselves with a chance of ending his maiden English campaign with a double to their name, and as long as Hazard is allowed to assert himself as usual, the Blues have a strong chance at both.