Chelsea 'flattered' by 4-0 scoreline in Stoke win, says Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes has insisted Chelsea have been "flattered" by the 4-0 score as Stoke City were beaten at home on Saturday.

Alvaro Morata scored his first hat-trick for the club, doubling his tally for the season to six, after Pedro's earlier strike as Chelsea kept pace for Manchester United and Manchester City at the top of the table.

For Stoke it was a third defeat of the season and the worst home defeat since Spurs scored four without reply last September.

Hughes has pointed to his injury concerns, with Kuro Zouma also ineligible to play against his parent club.

"We made too many mistakes against a team who can exploit that," he told reporters. "We were tested a little bit when it comes to personnel. Today we were missing five centre-backs.

"They will be delighted with a 4-0 scoreline. It has flattered them somewhat. Circumstances meant that we weren’t getting anything out of it. Defensive errors took it away from us."