Even with his team three goals up last night, coasting towards victory at the John Smith’s Stadium, Antonio Conte stalked the touchline as anxiously as ever. He spoke afterwards of the sense of futility in trying to reel in Manchester City, but even if “best of the rest” is the only title available to them this season, the Chelsea head coach will not allow himself or his players to relax. This victory, which took them up to third in the table, was about as comfortable as it has been for Chelsea during a difficult defence of the Premier League title. On a ground where Manchester United were beaten and where City took until the final minutes to secure victory, Conte’s team were in control from…

Source: The Times December 13, 2017 00:03 UTC