CONTE HAILED CHELSEA'S DEFENSIVE DISCIPLINE OVER STOKE CITY

Antonio Conte was delighted with another Chelsea clean sheet as the defending Premier League champions finished 2017 with a 5-0 thrashing of Stoke City on Saturday.

The Blues were able to shut out their opponents for the fourth successive league match, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois only called into action on one occasion to deny Saido Berahino.

At the other end the Blues were in fine form, with Antonio Rudiger, Danny Drinkwater and Pedro giving them a 3-0 lead after 23 minutes.