Conte annoyed by Chelsea’s sloppy defending

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says his side must improve their defending from crosses and set pieces.

The Blues conceded against West Ham in their opening Premier League game after only half-clearing a corner, failed to deal with a cross that led to Watford’s opener on Saturday, and conceded from a header in the 3-2 win over Bristol Rovers on Tuesday.

Speaking after the EFL Cup victory, a frustrated Conte said: “In the first half we conceded one goal after a cross, a free-kick.

“We must improve on this aspect. We must feel the danger in every circumstance, when there is a free-kick or a corner, because in England usually it can be a great chance to concede a goal.”

Conte was relieved to come through a testing second half against League One side Rovers, who made Chelsea work for their place in the third round.

He admitted: “We know that we had to work very hard. I knew the atmosphere around this cup and I could tell this game was very tough.

“It’s a pity because we were dominating the game and created a lot of chances in the first half to score many goals.

“But I don’t like it when you concede in these situations, with a free-kick and a penalty.

“When you have the opportunity to kill the game you must kill the game.”