Conte sees red but Rudiger earns Blues victory
CHELSEA 1 SWANSEA CITY 0
IT is tradition at Chelsea that when the breakthrough arrives against stubborn opponents, Antonio Conte celebrates by launching himself head-first into the home fans although when the goal at last came against Swansea City, the Italian was already alone in the home dressing room.
By the time Antonio Rudiger headed in Chelsea’s decisive goal 10 minutes into the second half, Conte had been dismissed and was back stage with one of his three assistant coaches, Angelo Alessio assuming the duties of excitable touchline motivator. Conte had gone in a moment of rage at the end of the first half when he screamed in the face of fourth official Lee Mason and was dispatched by referee Neil Swarbrick.
Given his high-octane touchline demeanour, Conte might feel that is a risk he runs every week and even through his rage it seemed like he knew that he had overstepped the mark. It made little difference in the end, with Chelsea’s win making it five victories from their last six league games, keeping leaders Manchester City in their sights.
Conte will get a ban for Saturday’s visit of Newcastle United, although the problems are much graver for his opposite number Paul Clement.
Swansea are now without a win in their last six games and it was hard to recall a moment when they even threatened the home goal.
All this against a team without Cesar Azpilicueta for the first time this season and Eden Hazard just a second-half substitute.
Conte finally lost his rag just two minutes before the break when a Pedro effort clipped not one but two Swansea players on its way out and was still given as a goal-kick.
The Italian manager, incandescent with rage, was straight in the face of Lee Mason, never one for confrontation at the best of times.
Conte’s words were clear even in the press box, and native Italian speakers translated them as, “Tell him something! Tell him something.”
To Mason, they may just have sounded like a promise that the Mancunian official was soon to be swimming with the fishes.
He called over Swarbrick who ordered Conte to the stands where, as always seems to happen in these episodes, the departing manager was at a loss where he was supposed to go.
Finally Conte was told that a seat behind the dugout was not allowed and he went down the tunnel to go up a level to the second tier, but not before he had given Mason another piece of his mind.
These are difficult days for Swansea and Renato Sanches, the Portuguese prodigy who was part of the Euro 2016 winning team, has got a lot of the stick. He passed straight out of play on 33 minutes and looked shattered during the rare periods when Swansea actually had the ball.
Even so, Swansea kept Chelsea at bay. Alvaro Morata had a header and then a volley both saved by Fabianski, and Willian whipped a 10th-minute free-kick across the face of goal but no one got a touch.
In fact, the Pedro chance that led to the Conte dismissal was one of the best Chelsea had amid a sequence of shots that Fabianski saved easily.
There was no Sanches in the Swansea team for the second half, replaced by Leroy Fer although it changed little when it came to the ebb and flow of the game. As the 20-year-old looked on moodily from the bench, there were more chances for Chelsea until at last a N’golo Kante shot deflected off Bony and Rudiger got a head to it to score at the back post. There was to be no Swansea comeback. (© Daily Telegraph, London)