Antonio Conte plays down exit talk, says future is at Chelsea

City used considerable pressure throughout the 2nd half as Chelsea held firm, Eden Hazard’s brace showing crucial, while Liverpool were not able to hold on at Anfield as Josh King procured a late 2-2 draw for Bournemouth.

“There were also things we could do a little better so we’ll try and do that against Chelsea, but it’ll be a good challenge and a competitive game so we’ll need to make sure we do the basics”.

“I think we showed to be a great team, to win a hard game after a defeat against Crystal Palace. As long as we keep winning then we don’t have to worry”.

Manchester City “stood up to the challenge” in Wednesday’s loss to Chelsea, according to Vincent Kompany.

Hazard saw a penalty saved by Caballero, but tucked in the follow-up to give Chelsea a 2-1 half-time lead which they would not relinquish. “If he wins a title and begins the cycle, the objective is one of continuity”, he was quoted as saying.

Despite Chelsea managing to go back seven points clear of Tottenham on Saturday, Conte urged his players to remain focused and avoid letting complacency creep into their game lest Spurs pip them to the title.

“I am very happy to stay here, this is the most important thing”. Also he’s growing in his mentality. “We were solid, we were dealing with the counter-attacks really well”. ‘We are playing to win a championship. We will remember this season if we win.

Howe refused to be drawn on the lack of regular first-team opportunities at Chelsea for ex-Bournemouth loanee Nathan Ake, who, after an initially slow start, impressed in 12 appearances for the Cherries before being recalled early by his parent club during the early stages of the January transfer window.

The fairest option might be to split the Player of the Year awards, which is what happened last season with Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez getting the nod from his fellow professionals while his team-mate Jamie Vardy was favoured by the footballer writers. They got six points. “It was not easy to get back on track, especially after an unexpected and undeserved defeat to Crystal Palace, but we’ve done it and I’m delighted”.