Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Antonio Conte says nothing has changed in Chelsea's bid for Premier League glory despite the Blues suffering a shock 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The result left the side still seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham, who defeated Burnley 2-0, with nine matches of the season remaining.
Up next for Conte's charges is a home tie with fourth-placed Manchester City on Wednesday, meaning the London side could potentially see their lead further reduced ahead of games with Bournemouth, Manchester United and Spurs.
Speaking after the loss, Conte told the club's official website: "There is big pressure but it is normal when you are in a great club and you are very good.
"When you are lucky enough to fight for the title there is the pressure but not only for us, for a lot of teams. Don’t forget, the other teams were candidates to win the title but instead we stay top of the table and we try to keep this position.
"If we were able keep this position it means that we deserve this."
He added: "This league wasn’t finished before Saturday’s game and it is not finished now. There are nine games to play and we have to think step by step and at the end if we deserve to win the title I will be very happy. If someone else deserves to win the title it means they were better than us.’
And looking forward to the challenge of facing City, he explained: "It is another game, I don’t know if it is the perfect team for us.
"I know that Manchester City started the season to win the title and they are a really strong squad, but it is right to think about ourselves and to face it game by game.
"In England there does not exist an easy game and the game is very tough if the name of your opposition team is City or another team."
