Conte hails Moses after Chelsea victory

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has admitted that Victor Moses’ superb performances at wing-back this season have come as a surprise even to him.

Moses returned from a season-long loan at West Ham in the summer and his future at Stamford Bridge looked uncertain, but he excelled on the right flank again as the Blues won 2-0 at Southampton.

Conte said: “You must have good stamina and quality to play as a wing-back. I ask them to do both offensive and defensive situations.

“Moses is a big surprise in this aspect. He is a winger but he is playing in a fantastic way.

“For him it wasn’t easy to play in this way in the English league but I am pleased with him because I can see a lot of positives.

“I also think Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic or Ola Aina can play in this role – like Moses. This role is very important in this system.”

Eden Hazard fired Chelsea ahead at St Mary’s as Chelsea moved above Tottenham and back into the top four.

Diego Costa sealed a fourth consecutive league win for Conte’s side.

The Italian said: “When you see Eden, Diego and Pedro work so hard, as well as the rest of the team, then you are happy.

“We created many chances to score more goals and kept the clean sheet, which means confidence is increasing.

“We must not look at the table but continue to work, and after Christmas we can make a better prediction of what we can achieve.”