Tottenham boss Antonio Conte pleased with ‘mentality’ and ‘passion’ after fightback at Chelsea
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte was left pleased after his side showed “good blood” in their 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
Spurs have only won once at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era and lost three times to Thomas Tuchel's team back in January, but fought back on Sunday to salvage a dramatic point.
While Chelsea were the better team and led 2-1 going into stoppage time after Kalidou Koulibaly and Reece James goals, Harry Kane's dramatic equaliser added to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's initial leveller to earn the visitors a point.
Conte, who had celebrated their first effort wildly, received a red card from referee Anthony Taylor following a second heated exchanged with rival boss Thomas Tuchel, but the Italian was eager to focus on the positives in the aftermath of a fierce battle.
He said: "I think the celebrations involved on both sides were really good celebrations, yes? The run, then the jump and you can understand about these celebrations because the feeling about us and Chelsea for this game.
"I think this game is an important game for both clubs. For sure for me it was important because to lose three games in a row against the same coach I don't like.
"I hate to lose and you know very well I try to transfer my mentality and my passion into my players because you can be good tactically, technically but then you need good blood in your veins to fight for something important.
"I think we have started a process in this aspect and today I am happy because my players wanted to stay in the game despite the difficulty of the game."