Conte happy to have pressure

CHELSEA RESTORE LEAD AFTER SPURS WIN It’s not easy to play after Tottenham, says leaders’ boss.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte praised his team’s refusal to bend to the pressure of the title race after their 3-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday. Before the Blues kicked off on the south coast, Tottenham Hotspur beat Watford 4-0 to move to within four points of leaders Chelsea.

But Conte’s side were were seldom in danger as they restored their seven-point advantage.

They went 2-0 up after 18 minutes through an Adam Smith own-goal and an Eden Hazard strike before conceding a goal to Bournemouth’s Joshua King.

But Man-of-the-Match Marcos Alonso made the game safe with an exquisite free-kick and Conte said: “Yes, I’m satisfied because it wasn’t easy to play this game after the win by Tottenham but our answer was very good.

“We started very well with a will to win the game,” the Italian added.

“It’s not easy to play after Tottenham but I think it’s normal in football. When you play after your opponent it’s normal if you see that the opponent is very close to you to feel a bit of pressure.

“But I’m happy to face this kind of situation, to play with only four points’ advantage. I like the pressure, to live with pressure. If I don’t see pressure, I put some on. When you have pressure, you give the best of yourself. We accept it.”

Conte, however, would not accept that two victories in quick succession after last weekend’s surprising defeat by Crystal Palace had guaranteed the title for Chelsea.

“I don’t smell victory yet because there are seven games to go, we have a schedule that’s not easy,” the Italian said.

“For sure Tottenham have a great desire to win the title and we must have the same desire. Don’t forget that last season they played for the title and we were 10th, so they are a really good team.” – AFP