Upbeat Antonio Conte ‘enjoyed’ Tottenham win but bemoans imminent stumbling block

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has explained why he ‘enjoyed’ the London derby win against West Ham, but bemoaned the upcoming international break for ruining his team’s rhythm.

Tottenham ran out 3-1 winners against David Moyes’ side as Harry Kane and Heung-min Son put on a show. Kane was involved in all three goals, getting two assists, while Son netted his 13th and 14th strikes of the campaign.

Kane crossed for his attacking partner in the ninth minute but saw Kurt Zouma turn the ball into his own net. The England skipper sent Son through on goal not long afterwards, and the South Korean finished over Lukasz Fabianski to make it 2-0.

West Ham got one back when Said Benrahma struck at the back post from a corner, but the Irons could not equalise.

Tottenham threatened late on and made it 3-1 when Kane flicked a Hugo Lloris clearance into Son’s path, allowing the pacy forward to finish.

Conte has been downtrodden in recent media appearances, but that was not the case on Sunday. During a post-match interview with BBC Match of the Day, Conte said: “I am very delighted not only for the three points but for the performance.

Antonio Conte calls international break a ‘pity’

“Today we played really, really well. We dominated the game from the start until the end. I enjoyed seeing my team play football. Now I repeat we have to continue to work and we are seeing the improvement every week.

“It’s a pity it is the international break now because we are in great form and are playing really well. But at the same time we now have to rest.

“I think that my team is improving in many aspects. In the last period, despite so many defeats, the performance have been good. To be a strong team you have to be stable.”

Son pleased with ‘massive three points’

Son told reporters: “From the start of the game we played really well – first half we created so many chances. It’s a massive three points before the international break so we are really happy.

“It’s obviously always tougher when you have a Thursday game and play 120 minutes, and we knew when we moved the ball they would be tired.

“We spoke about it but we didn’t focus too much on them. We played our own performances. Bouncing back is always so, so important for your confidence and rhythm as well.”

On his relationship with Kane, Son added: “I just make the runs as an option for Kane. If he doesn’t pass me the ball he might have the space to pass to someone else or to shoot.

“It’s incredible to have this striker next to me. I feel really sorry for him today that he didn’t score. He looked sad. I feel sad for him as a striker, you want to score everything.”

READ MORE: Tottenham join race for £84m Man Utd, Newcastle striker target Antonio Conte loves – Paper Talk

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