Conte admits losing tactical scrap with Jose

Antonio Conte accepted the blame for Chelsea’s potentially damaging defeat at Manchester United yesterday, a loss which saw the Italian apparently out-coached by his counterpart Jose Mourinho.

In an absorbing encounter, Mourinho’s personnel and tactical choices proved key and Conte, who saw his team’s lead at the top of the table cut to four points, admitted that he was to blame for Chelsea’s failure to react.

“We didn’t play a good game and United deserved to win the game,” said Conte. “They showed more desire, more ambition, more motivation.