Antonio Conte: Pedro on a par with Chelsea stars Eden Hazard and Diego Costa

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Vaishali Bhardwaj25 February 2017

Antonio Conte has lavished praise on Chelsea forward Pedro, insisting the Spain international is as great as Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.

Pedro scored his seventh Premier League goal of the campaign in Chelsea's 3-1 win over Swansea City on Saturday, and could have had another after he won the ball near the touchline, weaved his way in and out of several Swansea players but saw a last-ditch clearance deny him at Stamford Bridge.

The 29-year-old did, however, set up Cesc Fabregas for his goal in the 19th minute, and continues to keep Willian out of a starting place in the Blues' line-up with his superb performances.

Conte admits his 3-4-3 system is getting the best out of Pedro, who last season endured a difficult first campaign in England after arriving from Barcelona, and said the Spanish midfielder is as good as his teammates Hazard and Costa.

"Pedro is showing his quality. We are not finding out now about his quality," Conte said following Chelsea's 3-1 win over Swansea.

"He's a great player in the same way as Willian or Hazard or Costa.

"He's playing very well with and without the ball. I think that now he's deserving to play, and to score the goal is fantastic for him and, above all, for the team.

"I hope he continues in this way with this commitment, but Pedro has always had this quality. Now the formation is exploiting his characteristics still better than before."

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