Conte pleased with "important win"

Chelsea went top of the Premier League and won their sixth consecutive game as Diego Costa's poacher's finish in the first half was enough to beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Riverside.

Conte declared himself "very pleased" with the result as Chelsea face an unbeaten Tottenham side next weekend.

"It was very important," Conte told 'Sky Sports'. "Today it was very important because these are tricky games. Now we have the week to prepare for a tough game against a strong team in Tottenham.

"It was a good performance against a very strong team, they drew with Arsenal and City, for this reason I am pleased with our performance.

"We played a good game, against good opposition, and created many chances to score the second goal. It's important to kill the game if you have chances because anything can happen from corners and crosses, but I am pleased".

The Italian manager went on to praise the club's fans, who stuck with the team earlier in the season when Chelsea were struggling to hit their best form.

"It's not easy," said Conte. "We must not forget how difficult a month ago was, but we have to continue with trust and with our fans, they were against fantastic".

The former Juve and Italy boss went on to praise Diego Costa, who managed to score his 10th Premier League goal of the season.

"Diego is playing good football, with and without the ball," he said. "And Pedro and Eden [Hazard], they are very important for our balance. They are working very hard for the team.

"Diego is always in the action, he is a fantastic striker and is showing this".