Cautious Conte vows no let-up

Boss draws from past hurt to warn Blues against title complacency

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte promised to keep a close eye on his players' concentration levels after they tightened their grip on the Premier League title by beating Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Goals from Marcos Alonso, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas earned the Blues a 3-1 win that left them 12 points clear of the Gunners and nine points above second-place Tottenham, which edged Middlesbrough 1-0.

But Conte said his experiences of home-straight collapses as a player and coach with Juventus mean he will not consider the race over until the trophy is in his hands.

"I don't slip and I don't want my players to slip," the Italian said, in an unwitting echo of Steven Gerrard's words prior to Liverpool's collapse in the 2013-14 season.

"In my squad I have a lot of players with good experience, because they won a lot in their careers," Conte added. "They know that until now we haven't won the title.

"And it's important to know this, to keep our antennae very high, because in my career as a footballer, above all as a footballer, I won a lot, but I lost a lot.

"And when you lose three Champions League finals and you win only one, I think you have a great hunger.

"During my experience as a footballer I won a title with eight points (to make up) four games before the end and another time I lost in the same way."

Chelsea's 13th-minute opener was highly contentious.

The goal was allowed to stand despite Alonso taking out Gunners defender Hector Bellerin with his forearm as the Spanish leftback leapt to head home.

Bellerin had to be replaced by Gabriel, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger felt it was "100 percent a foul".

Conte, took a different view.

"In England, in this league, this is always a goal," Conte said.

"This ball, it's a contest and Alonso jumps more than Bellerin and scores a goal.

"To hear this in England, I'm surprised. I must be honest. In Italy, maybe (it would have been a foul)."

Hazard scored a stupendous second in the 53rd minute, running from the center circle, shrugging off Francis Coquelin and twice outfoxing Laurent Koscielny before squeezing a shot past Gunners goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Conte said Hazard was in "great shape", but added that the playmaker's defensive efforts off the ball pleased him more than anything.

Former Arsenal captain Fabregas lobbed in Chelsea's third after a misplaced kick from Cech before Olivier Giroud replied with a stoppage-time header.

'Really naive'

Despite his reservations about Alonso's opener, Wenger conceded his side's errors and profligacy were equally to blame for the outcome.

"We were really naive and not clinical in our defending," said the Frenchman, who watched from the stands as he served the third game of a four-match touchline suspension.

"Then Chelsea looked the better side. We took risks and they were well organized and played well on the counter-attack and looked powerful," added Wenger.

"We lost the ball many times. In situations we lacked maturity and experience."

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil were conspicuously incapable of giving Arsenal a foothold in the game, but Wenger was reluctant to rate their displays.

"I leave that to you," he told reporters. "It's very difficult for me to comment individually on players after a big disappointment like that.

"Individually we were not at our best in some positions. But it's very difficult to speak about that straight after the game."

Once again Arsenal's title hopes have faded miles from the finish line, but Wenger was keen to focus on next weekend's visit of Hull City - which beat Liverpool 2-0 on Saturday - when asked where the defeat left his side's season.

"It leaves us to focus and prepare to win the next game," he said. "That's what football is about."

And Chelsea? "It's for them to lose it."

Pochettino sure Spurs still in hunt

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino refused to give up on his side's Premier League title challenge after a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday left Spurs nine points behind leader Chelsea.

The host had to work hard for victory at White Hart Lane and needed a second-half Harry Kane penalty to end Boro's resistance.

"Nine points is OK, it's three games but it's up to Chelsea now. It's up to us to keep pushing, win games and it's important for the Premier League too," said Pochettino.

"I think we have more chance to try to compete and fight and be one of the contenders for the Premier League. We'll see what happens, there are a lot of games left.

"Our focus is to try to win every game and close the gap on Chelsea. But we are not thinking about where we can finish, we are thinking about improving and doing our best.

"Closing the gap will be difficult - nine points is tough to reduce but in football you always have to believe. The most important is to try to play every game."

Tottenham dropped points against Sunderland in its previous game and there was a danger of history repeating itself on Saturday.

Middlesbrough have drawn at Arsenal and Manchester City this season, and Pochettino's side were frustrated by Boro goalkeeper Victor Valdes' heroics.

However, Spurs' pressure told when Bernardo Espona hauled down Heung-Min Son for a 58th-minute spot-kick that Kane converted.

It could have been more but Pochettino believes his young team are coming of age.

"We learned a lot from last season and the team is very competitive," the Argentine said.

"It's good to put the standard higher. I am happy to put pressure on us and say we are a real contender and we are a team ready to win the title. I manage pressure very well, no problem."

Chelsea's Diego Costa (right) vies for a high ball with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny during their English Premier League match at Stamford Bridge in London on Saturday. The Blues won 3-1. Hannah Mckay / Reuters