Antonio Conte Praises Under-Pressure Performance against West Ham

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has praised his team’s attitude in the 2-1 win over West Ham on Monday night.

This was a crucial victory that preserved Chelsea’s advantage in the Premier League. The blues had seen Manchester City and Tottenham secure wins during the weekend. As a result, they came into the game under a lot of pressure. City manager Pep Guardiola tried to ring up the mind games by claiming that Chelsea seemed unstoppable. All these events pointed to the blues being complacent or under severe pressure. Yet, it was none of these as Chelsea cruised to a 2-1 win.

West Ham had very little chances in front of goal and Chelsea only lost the clean sheet with seconds remaining in the game. Even this goal came as a result of a lapse in concentration. Apart from the mishap, Chelsea were excellent throughout the 90 minutes. Goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa secured this victory, which has re-established the 10 point advantage over Spurs. Chelsea, though, have played a game more than City, who have the potential to reduce the deficit to 8 points.

Even then, it remains a substantial advantage with only 11 games remaining in the season. Conte praised the display of his team especially under pressure after having watched the rivals win during the weekend.

"It's a solid step for us. It's not easy to play after your opponent. You know if you lose, you drop points. To feel this type of pressure is good and I think we have had a good answer. I think we played a good game. We controlled the game, scored and had other chances to score more goals. Now we must continue, to rest very well and to prepare very well for the game in the FA Cup against Manchester United,” said Conte.