London - Chelsea manager said his side had put on a united
front after Diego Costa marked his return with a goal in a 2-0 victory over
Hull City.
Absent from Chelsea's 3-0 win at Leicester City amid reports
he had been unsettled by an offer from China, Costa celebrated his opener on
Sunday with a hand gesture suggestive of media chatter.
Conte claimed not to have seen the gesture, but with Chelsea
having opened up an eight-point advantage at the top of the Premier League, he
expressed confidence the matter had been put to bed.
"Honestly, I didn't see because I was celebrating on
the bench," Conte told reporters at Stamford Bridge.
"When we score goals, sometimes my celebrations are
very dangerous for my staff! It's important to score the goal and to celebrate
in any way.
"It's important Diego played a good game and I hope
with this game to finish the speculation about him, about Chelsea, about me and
him.
"Because I think we showed that we are a team with a
great unity and I think this is the real value, because we stay top of the
table."
Costa struck seven minutes into nine minutes of first-half
stoppage time added on after a head injury sustained by Hull's Ryan Mason,
sweeping in his 15th goal of the season from Victor Moses's cross.
It was later revealed that Mason had undergone surgery on a
fractured skull.
The speculation about Costa is unlikely to vanish overnight,
but Conte said he was more worried about preserving Chelsea's position in the
table than worrying about his striker's long-term future.
Asked if Costa signing a new contract would help to douse
the rumours, Conte replied: "I don't know. This decision is something you
have to take together with the club.
"But, I repeat: he's very happy to stay with us and to
play with Chelsea. For us, now, it's very important to concentrate on the
present and don't see too far.
"If we start to see too far, we risk losing the present. The present is more important than the future."
Hull's disappointment was compounded by the serious injury to Mason, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder requiring oxygen on the pitch and then being taken to hospital after a shuddering clash of heads with Gary Cahill.
"Ryan is in a stable condition and is expected to
remain in hospital for the next few days," said a Hull statement released
after the player had undergone surgery. "A further update will be issued
on Monday."
Hull, who remain in the relegation zone, were missing Robert
Snodgrass due to what coach Marco Silva said was a "small" knee
injury.
The Scotland international, Hull's outstanding performer
this season, has been strongly linked with a move to West Ham United.
Asked if he would leave the club this month, Silva replied:
"I hope not because he's a good player, an important player for us, and I
don't want important players to leave the club."
Chelsea host second-tier Brentford in the FA Cup this
weekend before returning to league action with a double header against
Liverpool and Arsenal.
With Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester
United all dropping points, Chelsea's grip on first place has tightened yet
further, but Conte aired a warning.
"Me and my players, we have a good experience to
understand that this league will be very tough until the end," said the
Italian, who saw Cahill head in Chelsea's second goal in the 81st minute.
"To win this type of game and exploit the situation that the other teams dropped points is very important.
"But this league will be very tough until the end. To stay now in that position is fantastic for us because at the start of the season, not one person thought this (was possible)."