LONDON – A Premier League top-four finish for Tottenham Hotspur this season would be like winning the title, manager Antonio Conte said on Saturday after his team bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Harry Kane bagged a first-half double and Son Heung-min added a third as Spurs eased the pressure on Conte, whose future at the club has been the source of speculation after Wednesday’s Champions League elimination at the hands of AC Milan.
The victory was Spurs’ first in four games after a demoralising 10 days during which they also crashed out of the FA Cup and lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league.
“For us to finish in the top four is like winning the Premier League,” said Conte, who led Tottenham to a fourth-placed finish last season.
“It happened last season, and I spoke about it being a miracle. This season it will be much more difficult, there are many teams involved and in this moment, there is only one place available.”
Spurs have 48 points from 27 games, six more than fifth-placed Liverpool, who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by Bournemouth but have a game in hand.
Although Chelsea remained 10th after their 3-1 win over Leicester City, Conte said he could not rule out Graham Potter’s side as contenders for the final Champions League qualifying spot.
“Liverpool is a competitor in this race. Newcastle (United) is a different Newcastle to the past, they have invested a lot of money and have a strong team,” Conte said.
“I don’t consider Chelsea outside because Chelsea has a possibility to win the last 11 or 12 games in a row because the squad is really, really strong.
“A top club looks to themselves. We have to be focused on our path and to try to do our best until the end of the season, and then we see which is the position we are able to achieve.”
Chelsea manager Graham Potter, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of British record-signing Enzo Fernandez on their recent upturn in performances.
Fernandez, who joined Chelsea for a British record fee of more than £106.8 million (S$173.6 million), has struggled at times since his move – most notably when he was left in the dust by goalscorer Karim Adeyemi in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 Champions League win over Chelsea in February.
In Chelsea’s last three games, however, he has been a considerably more settled presence in midfield alongside Mateo Kovacic, and the Argentinian provided a sublime assist for Kai Havertz on Saturday.
Ben Chilwell opened the scoring for the Blues in the 11th minute, before Patson Daka equalised for the Foxes six minutes from half-time. But Havertz restored Chelsea’s lead in first-half added time and Kovacic sealed the win 12 minutes from time.
“Enzo is a fantastic player. He’s a young player,” Potter said.
“He’s going to get better and better as he’s with us more, because he’s just arrived from another country and another league. So you always have to adapt to that.
“But you can see his quality, he gets the ball, he can pass forward. He’s progressive with his mentality, gets the team moving, and then he gives everything so it’s a nice combination to have.” REUTERS
