Bournemouth victory was a ‘good answer’ to Tottenham’s win – Conte
Date published: Saturday 8th April 2017 8:18
Antonio Conte was pleased with how his Chelsea side responded to Tottenham closing the gap earlier on Saturday.
Spurs edged to within four points of the Blues on Saturday afternoon, but Conte’s men defeated Bournemouth 3-1 to restore their seven-point advantage in the race for the Premier League title.
An own-goal from Adam Smith, an Eden Hazard strike and Marcos Alonso’s free-kick gave Chelsea the victory at the Vitality Stadium and Conte was pleased how his side handled the pressure.
“It’s normal to have a good pressure [after Spurs won], said Conte.
“We started the game very well with great attention and focus. Then we conceded the goal and we lost a bit of confidence. In the second half we managed the game and scored another goal, then the free-kick from Marcos Alonso.
“Marcos is playing a really good season. It’s great for him to show his quality in the free-kick. I’m happy for him but I’m happy for the team.”
When asked about Diego Costa’s recent goal drought, Conte said: “Diego Costa provoked the first goal. He played a good game and fought a lot and fought for the team. Now it is important to rest and restart and prepare for the game against Manchester United.”
And Conte thinks Chelsea ‘deserved’ their victory over Bournemouth, who drop down to fifteenth in the Premier League table.
“Our reaction was good, we played in the right way at a time of the season with a lot of pressure,” Conte added. “When we conceded the goal we lost a bit of confidence but we managed the game and deserved to win.
“When you have this time of opponent [Tottenham] who is in good form and wants to catch you, it is important to have a good answer. This is a good answer. There are seven games to go and in England it is not easy, there is a lot of pressure.”
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