Chelsea sits pretty as Conte gets revenge over Arsenal
LONDON — Antonio Conte waited more than four months for revenge against Arsenal. With a 3-1 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the wait was worth it for the Italian manager as Chelsea remained nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The convincing win more than compensated for Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat by London rival Arsenal at the Emirates in September.
On Saturday, from the moment Marcus Alonso scored the opening goal after 13 minutes, there was only going to be one winner. Eden Hazard’s sublime second goal was greeted with raucous celebrations from players, manager and fans. By the time Cesc Fabregas added a third, Arsenal was well beaten.
For all Conte’s insistence that the title race is far from over, it is going to take a monumental drop in form by Chelsea for a rival to have a serious chance.