Chelsea answering every test - Conte
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Chelsea
are answering every test of their credentials, manager Antonio Conte
said as their seemingly unstoppable march towards the Premier League
title continued with a 3-1 win against Bournemouth on Saturday.
After
London rivals Tottenham Hotspur thumped Watford 4-0 to cut their lead
to four points, Chelsea faced a potentially difficult
visit to the
sun-drenched south coast.
Yet
an Adam Smith own goal, and further efforts from Eden Hazard and Marcos
Alonso ensured they comfortably beat the hosts to regain their
seven-point advantage.
"When
you have this type 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," Conte told the BBC.
"There
are seven games to go and in England it is not easy, there is a lot of
pressure. It's normal to have a good pressure (after Spurs won)."
Consistency has been crucial for the Blues and manager Conte, who won three league titles while manager of Juventus.
Thibaut
Courtois is one of the world's best goalkeepers and is playing behind a
defensive trio of Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta who
have conceded just 25 goals -- the league's second tightest defence.
Wing
backs Victor Moses and Alonso have provided energy, width and a
constant attacking threat while N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic have
formed the most dominant midfield pairing in the league.
They
have provided the platform from which Hazard, who added Chelsea's
second at Bournemouth, top-scorer Diego Costa and Spain forward Pedro
have flourished.
The
trio have scored 38 league goals between them with a combination of
strength, skill and guile to spearhead their title challenge.
"We
started the game very well with great attention and focus," Conte said.
"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.
"Our
reaction was good, we played in the right way at a time of the season
with a lot of pressure. When we conceded the goal we lost a bit of
confidence but we managed the game and deserved to win."
Bournemouth
manager Eddie Howe told the BBC: "I have to compliment Chelsea, they're
an outstanding team and their system works very well for them. In the
end Chelsea were too strong."
Chelsea face the next test of their credentials at Manchester United next Sunday. 
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