Frenzied Antonio Conte improvises to ensure Chelsea find a way to win
T he reaction at the final whistle told its own story. Antonio Conte, fists pumping and that same frenzied look in his eye that marked the latter stages of their successful title pursuit last season, was at the heart of the throng of visiting players gathered in the corner of this arena to celebrate in front of a raucous away support. After a summer of painful politics and festering frustrations, this served emphatically as a lancing of the tension, and a reminder of the calibre of champions. Chelsea, defiant and still with time to add to their squad, are far from a spent force just yet. Their prospects will feel rosier as the dust settles on this win. A derby of this ferocity, and staged in such grandiose surroundings, was always likely to have the juices flowing and those back at Cobham had sensed all week that, while the world obsessed over the messy divorce with Diego Costa and the hierarchy’s laboured manoeuvring in the transfer market, Conte believed the recovery from that
