Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has revealed that it was not his desire to use Eden Hazard in the Europa League quarter-final leg against Slavia Prague on Thursday night.

Marcos Alonso’s late header saved Chelsea’s night, with the Blues now expected to complete the job in next week’s second leg and reach the semi-finals.

Sarri concedes he did not want to use Hazard at the Sinobo Stadium, but the Blues’ lacklustre showing forced his hand in the second-half.

The Italian said he was forced to throw the Belgium international into action in a bid to rescue the match for Chelsea.

Marcos Alonso’s late header saved Chelsea’s night, with the Blues now expected to complete the job in next week’s second leg and reach the semi-finals.

Sarri’s men face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday in a key battle in their bid for a top-four Premier League finish, with Hazard doubtless now not as fresh as originally planned.

Asked if he had always planned to bring Hazard off the bench, Sarri replied: ‘No, at the beginning of the match I wanted him on the bench because I thought that, probably, the match was really very difficult.

‘Probably I’d need to use him. Of course, if at the end of the first half we were 1-0, I wouldn’t have used him.’

Chelsea failed to gel in a side showing seven changes from Monday’s 2-0 league win over West Ham.

Asked if Hudson-Odoi will start, Sarri said: ‘Oh, I don’t know. But in my opinion he needed to rest. And so, in this match, he was out.

‘But of course he is in my mind for the next match, but I have to see the last two training (sessions).’