Chelsea boss hits back at ‘negative’ media after win over Brighton

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte insisted his players had never doubted their own form after a 4-0 victory at Brighton ended a run of five straight stalemates.

Two goals from Eden Hazard helped set up the win at the Amex Stadium, the Blues’ first win of 2018 following a series of draws in both league and cup.

When asked if the performance had sent a message to those suggesting Chelsea were ‘in crisis’, Conte hit back: “Whoever said this has to pay great attention to the stats.

“We are unbeaten in 13 games. A lot of times, the press try to see the negative aspect and don’t see the positive aspect.

“This team, with many problems, is unbeaten in 13 games in every competition. This means we are doing important work with the players to win.

“Today, despite [having] six important players less, we won 4-0.

“Before the game I think a lot of people put a lot of publicity on suspension and injuries. But during the game we showed great personality.

“We started the game very well. We scored twice quickly with good combination between our strikers. This is very important, we must be happy with this.”