Antonio Conte said “there is a lot of work to do” following Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup tonight.
Conte’s side arrived at Stamford Bridge on an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but hardly laid a glove on their London rivals in what was a passive performance.
Tottenham made the worst possible start when five minutes in Japhet Tanganga’s dreadful pass allowed Kai Havertz’s to put Chelsea ahead.
Tanganga’s first half went from bad to worst just past the half hour mark when he failed to deal with a simple clearance; heading onto Ben Davies, with Hugo Lloris only able to watch the ball drop into the net.
Conte’s side did improve in the second half, with Harry Kane and Giovani Lo Celso forcing Kepa into comfortable saves, but Spurs have it all to do in North London next week if they want to reach a second Carabao Cup final in a row.
When asked his thoughts, the Italian said: “Today we have seen the difference between the two teams.
“Everyone has to have patience. In the last years at Tottenham the level has dropped a lot. I am always very honest with my players. Today Chelsea were much better. There is a lot of work to do. We need time.”