FINALLY, IT'S BLUE v RED
FA CUP ACTION: STARSPORT
Chelsea 2 Southampton 0
ANTONIO CONTE watched Chelsea march into the FA Cup Final – and then insisted Manchester United will be favourites to win it.
Olivier Giroud and late sub Alvaro Morata scored to book a date with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho and his United side at Wembley on May 19.
But with 11 points separating the two teams in the Premier League, Conte (left) insists that Chelsea face a reverse of the situation they encountered last year when they lost to Arsenal in the final. He said: “I can tell you that we played last season in the final and arrived as favourites against Arsenal. This season, we are arriving not as favourites. “But, as you know very well, we lost the final despite being favourites.” Mourinho and Conte have spent much of the season trading insults. But while the Italian has warned his counterpart
there can be only one winner in the final, he insists they have buried the hatchet.
Conte said: “With Jose, we have clarified the situation.
“This is the most important thing. There is not a problem between him and I.
“We are talking about two managers with strong characters, and two winners.
“When in your mind and your heart and your blood there is the will to win, for sure, we want to try to win this trophy.
“The same way Manchester United want to do this. I repeat. I have great respect for United’s story, for Mourinho’s story.
“They have the same respect, I think, for Chelsea’s story and my story.” Giroud is on course for his fourth FA Cup winner’s medal but Conte praised both the Frenchman and his strike rival Morata, who threw a strop at Burnley last week.
He said: “It has been a good signing for us. I needed a player with this characteristic: strong physically, to hold the ball up and allow our No.10 to make combinations with him.
“Morata is an important striker. I think he’s younger than Olivier. He has less experience. He is less strong physically but, at the same time, is very fast to act on the space. I’m pleased for both.”
Beaten Southampton boss Mark Hughes slammed referee Martin Atkinson for disallowing what would have been an equaliser for a nudge by Charlie Austin on goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
He said: “There’s disappointment because the goalkeeper’s made a wrong decision, basically thrown the ball into the back of his net.
“If ever there was a situation for VAR to play a hand and step in to review that, I would have thought that was an opportunity.
“It was a match-defining moment. Why it wasn’t referred, I have no idea.
“Giroud handled from the following corner, another they could have reviewed.
“We’re disappointed with the officials on the day, and whoever it is who sits in a darkened room.”