Diego Costa was again the hero of the Chelsea faithful as he slotted home an 87th-minute victor at Watford on Saturday to seal a 2-1 comeback victory.
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Chelsea were second-best for the first 70 minutes, but Conte sent on Batshuayi and then Cesc Fabregas and the former scored while the latter had a hand in both goals.
Conte is enjoying a flawless start to life at Stamford Bridge and praised the togetherness of his squad after turning to his bench for match-winning inspiration.
The Northern Ireland global and the side done a very good job at keeping Antonio Conte’s side at bay for the majority of the game. He did not quieten the doubters against the Hornets after a positive performance against West Ham, struggling both offensively and defensively as Watford exploited the Blues’ faltering right-hand side.
“They showed great attitude and commitment with Cesc Fabregas and Michy Batshuayi making a real impact”.
“They can play together, not only during the game but also from the start”.
“Or when, at the end of the game, we played 4-2-4 to stay wide with two wingers”.
“When you have many players that think for the team not themselves, it’s important and I see this situation happening in Chelsea and it’s good”.
The keeper told the London Evening Standard: “It’s very good for him, I’m happy for him”.
“We know the coach has his idea of football and he tries to teach it to us”.
Conte agreed that his intense fitness regime, which has included double sessions in pre-season, has paid off in Chelsea s ability to perform strongly late in games. “Build the confidence as we are the same players from last season”.
Watford will be disappointed to have ended the game with nothing to show for their own display having matched Chelsea in a tiresome first half and taken the lead through a fantastic Capoue strike.
The defeat means Walter Mazzarri is without a win since taking charge, following on from last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Southampton.
He said: “Fitness might come into it a little bit, but it’s still early in the season and we’re all finding our feet”.
“Like we say in Italy, we complicated our own life”.
Chelsea’s change in formation may have been something to do with that, however, two mistakes at the back led to their goals, as Heurelho Gomes and Sebastien Prodl were caught out. We were not focused at either goal.
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“We studied well during the week and had advice from our manager so it was easier to defend but we need to improve, we have the quality to improve”.
