Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has given his backing to Tiemoue Bakayoko after the midfielder's poor display against Liverpool on Saturday.

The 23-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer from Monaco and has started 10 Premier League games and three in the Champions League.

Against Liverpool, the France international struggled to provide protection for the Chelsea back line.

Had the reigning English champions not cancelled out Mohamed Salah's opener to earn a 1-1 draw, the criticism of Bakayoko may have been even heavier.

Before Willian found the back of the net, Cesc Fabregas replaced the under-fire midfielder and the Spaniard was influential in getting Chelsea a point.

Ahead of the team's home match against Swansea City on Wednesday, Conte spoke about Bakayoko and defended the player's showing against the Reds.

Some fans agreed with the manager's stance, while others felt that Bakayoko should not be exempt from criticism when he does not play well.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/PL25(13-14).mp4