Conte praises players after Chelsea win

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Chelsea boss Antonio Conte praised his players after their 2-0 victory over Brighton at Stamford Bridge.

Alvaro Morata broke the deadlock with a header from Cesar Azpilicueta’s fine cross 52 seconds into the second half.

And Marcos Alonso headed home on the hour mark – the Blues wide-man’s fifth goal of the season.

Azpilicueta has created a number of chances this season, particularly for Morata, and again showed his ability to deliver quality balls in from the right.

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“He has to score, not only assist,” Conte joked.

The Italian added: “Azpi is a defender with good feet and there is a great link between him and Alvaro. I hope to continue in this way.”

Chelsea had plenty of chances to win by a greater margin but keeper Mat Ryan produced several saves and Eden Hazard was denied by a goal-line clearance from Shane Duffy.

“It was positive to score for Alvaro. He is our number nine,” Conte said.

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“Also Alonso, to score five goals for a wing-back is a great achievement and it’s important to continue and not to stop, because it is very important for us to have this alternative to our strikers.

“I think it was a good performance. I have seen the stats and we had 25 shots, eight on target, 13 corners and also a lot of possession. I think we dominated the game.

“We had many chances to improve the final result but I think I saw good intensity, great commitment, and my players wanted to win this game.

“It was important for us to start the second part of the season with a win. I think we are doing a good job but it’s important to continue this way.”