Conte cries foul over schedule

Boss aggrieved Tottenham has extra day's rest

Eden Hazard unleashes a left-foot strike to put Chelsea 3-2 up in the FA Cup semifinal against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, London, on Saturday. Nemanja Matic added another late goal as the Blues ran out 4-2 winners. Peter Nicholls / Reuters

LONDON - Antonio Conte claims Chelsea has been harshly treated by the Premier League schedulers as the leader tries to survive a "crucial week" in the title race.

Conte's side beat Tottenham 4-2 in a thrilling FA Cup semifinal at Wembley on Saturday to book a final date with Arsenal or Manchester City.

The Blues were under the cosh for long periods, but Willian's brace and superb late goals from Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic ensured Chelsea remains on course for the double.

To achieve that lofty ambition, Chelsea needs to crush Tottenham's dreams again as the north Londoners are just four points behind in the league standings.

But Conte fears Chelsea's chances of fending off Spurs have been hindered by this week's schedule.

On Tuesday, Chelsea hosts Southampton, who will be refreshed after a 10-day rest, while Tottenham has an extra day to recover before traveling to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Conte tried to prepare for the busy period by leaving Hazard and Diego Costa on the bench for the first hour at Wembley.

And with Palace playing Liverpool on Sunday before taking on Tottenham, Conte is concerned Mauricio Pochettino's team will make its extra rest pay off.

"This week is crucial for us because in this week Tottenham has the advantage," Conte said.

"You must try to have balance with the matches and put both teams in the best situation to fight.

"Sometimes it's very difficult to understand the schedule, but we have to answer on the pitch."

While Conte appears to be attempting to engender an us-against-the-world mentality with his schedule complaints, the Italian said beating Spurs should give Chelsea a psychological edge in the title fight.

"We have to exploit the momentum for sure. It is really important to win against a team fighting with you for the title," he said.

"We have only two days to rest and recover. Southampton is a very tough game and we must know Tottenham wants to fight until the end to fight for the title."

Asked if he was concerned his selection gamble on Saturday might have backfired and damaged his team's morale, Conte said: "You have to take this responsibility.

"You must involve the players in your plan, and take this risk.

"You hope the decision is good. For sure it's not easy to decide to start without two really important players."

Tottenham's latest failure on the big occasion raised renewed questions about a talented team's ability to turn potential into prizes.

Pochettino's side also lost to Chelsea at Wembley in the 2015 League Cup final and flopped at the national stadium while playing its Champions League matches there this season.

"I can't change the past. I know the history, but I believe this is an exciting team," Pochettino said.

"Two years ago it was difficult to imagine we could fight for the Premier League, but it is a reality."

The Argentine was keen to accentuate the positives of an enterprising display against Chelsea and did not agree that a lack of killer instinct had derailed his side.

"It's difficult to explain. We were unlucky. I feel proud of my players," he said.

"We gave all we had. I have nothing (negative) to say."

Urging his players to shake off their Wembley heartache, Pochettino is confident Spurs can maintain the pressure on Chelsea in the league.

"It's true the players are disappointed but we will move on," he said.

"We will work on the training ground to focus on the next game against Palace.

"If you play like we did today then you can't be worried. We gave our best.

"The gap is four points and we will try to catch up to them.

"We must try to be calm and give support to our players. Come on, let's try to win the next game."

Agence France-Presse