Chelsea manager Antonio Conte praised the performances of his strike pairing Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Burnley and said the combination could be an option for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton.

Conte started with Belgian Eden Hazard on the bench, likely with Sunday’s match in mind and despite the unusual sight of two target men up front, the move paid off.

"This is the first time I tried this solution with the two strikers but I got a response from them and in the future, it could be a good option, the players showed this desire and will to sacrifice for the team," Conte said.

Morata did, however, miss a clear chance when he was put through one-on-one against Burnley keeper Nick Pope and shot wide but Conte said his decision to substitute the Spaniard was simply about getting Hazard on the field for the latter stages.

Although FA Cup opponents Southampton are struggling in the relegation zone, Conte, whose side fought back to beat the Saints 3-2 on Saturday, said it would be wrong to see the game at Wembley as a formality.

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