Hiddink pleased Pedro got his reward

Guus Hiddink said Pedro’s two goals in the 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle were a fitting reward for his defensive contribution.

The Spanish winger has struggled since joining from Barcelona in August, but gave his most telling display of the season in a one-sided game at Stamford Bridge.

He raced from the halfway line to make it 2-0 soon after Diego Costa’s opener and added the fourth after the interval with another clever one-on-one finish, this time from a Cesc Fabregas pass.

“Pedro is so hard working and very responsible,” Hiddink said.

“He knows what to do defensively, he is covering all the spaces but also I am very pleased he made his goals as well.

“He is such a hard-working guy so I am very pleased that it was it rewarded with goals.”

Hiddink, whose team face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, was also buoyed by seeing Eden Hazard complete 90 minutes for the first time this year.

The Belgian started his first Premier League game since being injured in the win over Crystal Palace at the start of January.

“I am happy that he played the 90 minutes, Hiddink said. “He was off many, many weeks and had two setbacks.

“And that is why we bought him step by step to a higher level. It is good to have him play 90 minutes. That will benefit him a lot. Let’s see on Tuesday how he can perform.”