Guus Hiddink says Eden Hazard was a substitute against Tottenham partly because Willian and Pedro deserved to start because of their contributions earlier in the season.
Hazard has attracted criticism for his performances for Chelsea this term and has had injury problems, but looked back to his best when scoring twice in the recent win against Bournemouth.
And he netted a late equaliser after coming off the bench, ending Spurs’ title hopes – much to the delight of the home fans.
But interim boss Hiddink stood by the decision not to start with the Belgian in Monday’s derby.
“Eden has had a difficult season, we can’t neglect that fact. He’s had a lot of injuries,” Hiddink said.
“There’s been a lot of frustration and it’s good to see him back. He played 90 minutes at Bournemouth – a less intense game.
“This was a big game with intensity and it was better to have him come on later in the game and he can play at full speed.”
The Dutchman added: “We also have, in this position, Pedro and Willian.
“I chose them also because both players, when we had a difficult time from December onwards, were working with a big attitude.
“That’s why they deserved to start. They delivered in difficult times.”