Antonio
Conte paid tribute to his Chelsea team after they "suffered at times" during
their 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.
Eden Hazard scored twice to seal a vital win for the Premier League leaders,
who maintained their seven-point advantage over second-place Tottenham.
Conte felt Chelsea lost their balance in the first half but regained their
composure after the break to see out the victory.
"For us it wasn't easy but when you play against City it's normal to suffer
in some parts of the game," the Chelsea boss said. "I think we suffered as a
team in the right way.
"The first half was very open, there were chances for one side and then the
other side. Usually when this happens I don't like this because I want more
balance for my team.
"In the second half, I think we defended very well with a good balance. It
was good win for us."
Conte was also pleased with his side's reaction to their shock home defeat
to Crystal Palace last weekend.
"When you play after a bad defeat like Crystal Palace when we didn't deserve
to lose, it's not easy to play at this part of the season," Conte added.
"The pressure is very high and to drop points in this moment is not good
because you give hope to your opponent."
Chelsea's biggest title rivals are Tottenham, who came from behind at
Swansea to win 3-1, keeping some degree of pressure on Conte's side.
"It's better to look at ourselves," Conte said. "The Tottenham result is
important but the most important result is our result. We have to continue
to think like this.
"The best way is to think Tottenham could win eight games. For this reason
to win the title we need 18 points. That's the best way for us to think."
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