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Agence France-Presse

Antonio Conte revealed he ignored Diego Costa’s request to be substituted because the volatile Chelsea striker’s passion is too important to lose.
Costa scored his seventh Premier League goal of the season as Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 win over spluttering champions Leicester City at Stamford Bridge.
But the controversial Spain star still managed to cause a fuss with his demonstrative, but unsuccessful, attempt to convince Chelsea manager Conte to substitute him in the 70th minute.
Costa was one booking away from being suspended for next Sunday’s home clash with Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United and, with the game against Leicester well in control, he gestured that he wanted to come off.

He even clutched at his legs as if struggling with an injury in the closing stages, but Conte was unmoved and insisted he didn’t want to lose a player with Costa’s tone-setting aggression even for a few minutes.
“If I can, I keep Costa until the end of the game. Costa is an important player for us,” Conte said.
Chelsea crush tame champions Leicester City in dominant Stamford Bridge display
“Diego is in good shape. He has passion and we need his passion in every moment of the game.
“I know I risked it because if Costa took another yellow card he misses the next game.
“I decide the substitutions. Always I take the responsibility in every situation, good or bad.”
Watch: Interviews with Antonio Conte, Gary Cahill and Nathaniel Chalobah


Conte was also rewarded for sticking to his beliefs about playing three central defenders.
Having changed to his preferred formation after Chelsea leaked too many goals, Conte was rewarded with a second consecutive clean sheet despite leaving fit-again captain John Terry on the bench.
“I changed the system because it’s important to have time to understand the right characteristic for the team,” he said.
“After we conceded a lot of goals I decided to change for the Hull game. This system suits the talents of all our players.”

Conte had laughed off suggestions he was about to be sacked after some bookmakers suspended betting on his departure on Thursday.
And Chelsea’s best performance of the season was a welcome vote of confidence.
Flying high: Antonio Conte salutes form of Diego Costa as Chelsea end barren run with Hull win
“I’m quite ‘tranquilo’. I’m very happy,” Conte said. “When you work so hard during the week, it’s logical you want to see a good result. I’m very happy, above all for my players.”
Meanwhile, Claudio Ranieri admits Leicester’s maiden Champions League voyage is ruining their Premier League title defence.
Watch: Leicester City’s Marc Albrighton

WATCH: Marc Albrighton talks to LCFC TV after #lcfc's defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday. #CheLei pic.twitter.com/tTNK8bOOdL
— Leicester City (@LCFC) October 15, 2016

<![CDATA[// ><!]]>

Ranieri’s side are 11 points behind leaders Manchester City and Arsenal after their fourth loss of the season.
That is more defeats than Leicester suffered in the whole of last season and they are also the first English champions to lose four successive away games since Blackburn in 1995-96.
“When you play in the Champions League for the first time in the club’s life, the concentration can be very high in the Champions League and it is not the same in the Premier League,” Ranieri said.
“I can understand this. It is not only one man who changed the team, it is the brain that changed the team.

“I’m not worried. I know my job. There are good and bad moments. I have to work.”
Ranieri conceded he might have unsettled his team by resting three key figures, including last season’s player of the year Riyad Mahrez, to keep them fit for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Danish side Copenhagen.
Building a dynasty: Leicester City sign title-winning Italian manager Claudio Ranieri until 2020
But the Italian was unrepentant because he believes reaching the knockout stages would be a huge achievement for a club of Leicester’s stature.
“The Premier League is one year long, the Champions League is two months and you are in or out,” he said. “We want to go in the knockout in the Champions League, to achieve this you have to have all your players fit. I prefer to keep players fit for Tuesday.”

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English Premier League

I'm in charge, says Chelsea manager Antonio Conte after Diego Costa sub dispute

Diego Costa celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Leicester City at Stamford Bridge. Photo: AFP

Chelsea's Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa (2nd R) vies with Leicester City's English-born Jamaican defender Wes Morgan (R) and Leicester City's English midfielder Danny Drinkwater during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge in London on October 15, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Leicester City's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri reacts on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge in London on October 15, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Chelsea's manager Antonio Conte, centre, gestures towards his players as Leicester City's manager Claudio Ranieri, left, looks on during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Leicester City, at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Sport

Football

The Blues won 3-0 against defending champions Leicester City on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, with the Spain international scoring his seventh Premier League goal of the season
