Chelsea’s players saved their season, but maybe not their manager.
Collecting the FA Cup after beating Manchester United 1-0 on Saturday is looking like Antonio Conte’s final act with Chelsea.
“After two years, the club knows me very well, and if they continue to want to work with me they know I can’t change,” Conte said. “My way is always the same.”
Photo: Reuters
Having won three Serie A titles at Juventus before capturing the Premier League trophy for Chelsea, Conte told the Chelsea hierarchy: “I’m a serial winner.”
It was a bullish sign-off to a lackluster season that saw the Italian’s relationship with Chelsea’s leadership become increasingly strained, as the team went from champions to fifth in the Premier League.
Wembley match-winner Eden Hazard also has a decision to make: Whether to pursue a transfer.
After raising doubts about his Chelsea future ahead of the final — demanding “good players” are signed in the off-season — Hazard produced the only goal from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute.
On the pitch amid the celebrations, Hazard said nothing to show his commitment to the club.
“I’m just happy,” Hazard said. “You see the fans celebrating with the trophy. We didn’t play a great season, but at least we finished well.”
“If we want to win a lot of games, we have to play better, because today we played defensively,” Hazard added.
The focus on the gloomy league campaign and off-season uncertainty in the post-match interviews made it easy to forget that Chelsea had just picked up a trophy.
“This was to save our season,” Chelsea captain Gary Cahill said. “I’m not saying we’ve had a magnificent season by any stretch, but we are used to winning — not in an arrogant way, but we have to try to win things.”
Conte’s first cup final victory in coaching meant former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho finished his second season at United empty-handed, paying the price for an insipid first-half display and coming to life only after the break.
United took until the 56th minute to register a shot on target, when Marcus Rashford struck at goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who later rushed off his line to block the forward.
United’s deficiencies were encapsulated by another patchy performance from midfielder Paul Pogba, who squandered a late chance to equalize by heading wide.
However, Mourinho could not find any faults.
“I don’t think [Chelsea] deserved to win,” Mourinho said. “I am quite curious, because if my team played like Chelsea did, I can imagine what everyone would be saying.”
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