Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte: Why Tottenham loss hurt less than defeat at Arsenal
ANTONIO CONTE is less distressed by Chelsea's defeat to Tottenham than he was at Arsenal in September.
Conte disappointed Chelsea's winning run has come to end
The Blues lost their first Premier League game tonight since the 3-0 drubbing at the Emirates four months ago.
Spurs closed the gap on Chelsea to seven points as they won 2-0 at White Hart Lane thanks to two Dele Alli headers.
Conte's side had more possession and shots on goal despite the defeat though, as it it was their first failure since switching to a 3-4-3 system.
Antonio Conte was not too disappointed with how his Chelsea side performed at Tottenham
Against Arsenal, we weren’t a team, today we were
And when comparing his team's capitulation at London rivals Arsenal to tonight, the Italian boss was not as disappointed.
"This is a different defeat," Antonio Conte told BBC Sport.
"[Compared] to the one in September, today we lost the game, but showed that we were a team.
"Against Arsenal, we weren’t a team, today we were."
Conte confirms January transfer talks with Chelsea board
Antonio Conte said Chelsea didn't play as a team at Arsenal back in September
Two headers from Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli scured victory against Chelsea
The Gunners' win was basically secured by half-time in September as they led 3-0 at the break, raising many questions over Conte's side.
But Chelsea have impressed greatly since then, and still lead second-placed Liverpool by five points.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were leapfrogged by Tottenham as a result, pushing Arsene Wenger's side down into fifth.
Conte's men can bounce back on Sunday in the FA Cup third round when they face Peterborough at Stamford Bridge (3pm).
Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?