Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has is delighted with his side’s 2-0 victory away to Southampton but insists that it is too early to discuss if the Blues are title contenders this campaign.
Goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa proved sufficient to see off Southampton and move Chelsea up to fourth place in the Premier League table, one point adrift of the pace-setting trio of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Conte told Sky Sports following the match, his side’s four consecutive league win: “I’m very happy after this performance. I saw great commitment, work rate – with the ball and without it.
“Our fans were fantastic from the first minute until the end. I want to thank them – we won this game together, the players and the supporters.
“For the fourth game we keep a clean sheet. It’s fantastic. Also we scored two goals and created many chances. We are working very hard.
“It’s early for us to speak about title contenders. We have to work very hard to continue. We can improve a lot. We must improve. After the first part of the season, I can tell more about this run.”
Despite a much-changed side losing to West Ham United in the EFL Cup in midweek, Chelsea have been largely impressive since Conte made the decision to switch to playing with three defenders.
The Blues’ new formation has certainly helped to bring the best out of the likes of Hazard and Costa, whose clever movement was simply too difficult for the Southampton defenders to deal with.
Chelsea, who have created 128 chances in the Premier League this season, host Everton next weekend in their next game.
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