SOMETHING BORROWED... SOMETHING BLUE
Eden the Best Man as Conte signs off in style
ANTONIO CONTE admitted his Chelsea reign is coming to an end – despite lifting the FA Cup.
The coach saw his Blues withstand a second-half Manchester United onslaught to take the trophy for the eighth time, courtesy of Eden Hazard’s 22nd-minute penalty.
Conte said: “This is great. We have deserved something special.” The
Italian, who won the Premier League title in his first season at Stamford Bridge, has now followed it up by handing owner Roman Abramovich another precious piece of silverware.
But he knows he is likely to pay the price for finishing fifth. Conte said: “We missed a place in the Champions League. For a big team like Chelsea, that’s a problem.
“This is great and I want to say thank you to my players, staff and the fans.
“I have a contract with this club. I’m committed to the club. The expectations are very high. We did our best this season, but it wasn’t good enough.”
United boss Jose Mourinho insisted his team didn’t deserve to lose.
And he also appeared to point a finger of blame at Romelu Lukaku for only declaring himself fit enough for a place on the bench after a three-week absence with an ankle injury.
Mourinho said: “When a player tells you he’s not ready to start, then the question, is how many minutes can you do? How can I convince a player that is not ready to play?”