Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte has praised the performance of his side in their 2-1 win over Watford, despite more controversy surrounding striker Diego Costa.

Think about the positives

Conte's side traveled to Vicarage Road looking to maintain their 100-percent competitive record, after their late 2-1 win over West Ham United on Monday night.

However Etienne Capoue's second goal in as many games saw them fall behind, but Conte's three substitutions proved crucial in their eventual win, with Michy Batshuayi scoring the equaliser and Cesc Fabregas setting up Costa for his winner.

The polarasing figure was at it once again. Having seemingly got away with a dismissal in the match with Slaven Bilic's side, he looked to have got away with it again after he escaped a booking for a theatrical dive having already been carded. Despite the controversy, Conte was keen to focus on the positives of his side's victory.

He told Sky Sports: "I think that there is more focus on Costa." The Italian continued, "It's not good for him, for Chelsea and for the situation in general." However, he believes, "It's important for him to understand and think about Chelsea and not about other situations."

Conte continued: "For Diego, for Chelsea, for the fans, for all, it's important to think about the game and to play football and not to insist about this (matter on the) pitch because I don't like to speak about this."

Michy Batshuayi celebrating his goal in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Watford | Photo; Getty Images
Above: Michy Batshuayi celebrating his goal in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Watford | Photo; Getty Images

Making all the difference

There is no mistaking that the introductions of Fabregas, Batshuayi and Victor Moses were crucial in turning the game around, and in the Blues eventual victory, as Conte praised their impact on the game.

"It's important for me and the team to have the players that start on the bench and come and show the right attitude and patience to change the game," said the former Juventus and Italy coach.

Conte concluded: "Batshuayi and Fabregas had a good impact on the game and I'm happy for this." Despite the win, Conte insisted, "We must continue to work very hard to continue in this way because we don't have another option, only this."

Chelsea will take on Bristol Rovers in the League Cup at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, August 23 with kick-off at 7:45pm BST.

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Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.