"He punished us badly." — Antonio Conte names the ONE Chelsea player his team couldn’t stop.

 • Antonio Conte has heaped praise on one Chelsea star following excellent display against his Napoli side. 

Napoli boss Antonio Conte has heaped praise on one Chelsea player who made life extremely difficult for his team after their dramatic 3–2 defeat.

Despite seeing his side eliminated, the former Chelsea boss was full of admiration for the Blues and the quality they showed on the night. Conte admitted that Chelsea’s performance highlighted just how much progress the club has made, even while still rebuilding.

The Italian manager reserved special praise for João Pedro, describing him as the decisive figure in the match. According to Conte, the forward “punished” his team with his intelligence, movement, and clinical finishing, ultimately making the difference between the two sides: 

“Joao Pedro made the difference. Today, he is an important player for Chelsea. He condemned us and forced us to play the game against a top club that has extraordinary players.

“Joao Pedro punished us in an important way."

Furious Antonio Conte also claimed that his side was perhaps the better side in the game, not to take anything away from Chelsea’s display:

“There is great pride and satisfaction because, despite having more than half the team out, we played better than Chelsea, and we deserved much more. Chelsea won the Club World Cup and has extraordinary players, but we played on an equal footing.”

Whether his team played better or not, in football,  the result is always important.  Napoli may have been the better side, but Chelsea had the win..

And that's what matters.