Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has praised his side for showing "great maturity" as they returned to the top of the Premier League courtesy of a victory over West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
The Blues had been heading for a frustrating stalemate with the Baggies until Diego Costa produced a fine strike 15 minutes from time to return his side to the summit.
"It was very difficult," Conte told reporters after the game. "But we knew this. I spoke a lot in this week about this game. About the difficulty of this game. We faced a team very tough, a physical team. They are difficult to break down. But I am pleased, today we showed a great maturity, to find solutions, I am pleased.
"Another clean sheet, now it's important to think about the next game. It is important to be focused, it's an important period. This Christmas period is difficult for all the teams, it's important to get the win, to be focused. To play football with good intensity.
"For the players we can improve a lot, we can do this through work, work every day. For this reason I am satisfied with the work and commitment from my players. They showed me great application, commitment and concentration."
Next up for the league leaders is a trip to struggling Sunderland on Wednesday night.
Neil Wilkes
