Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp were at their emotional best on the touchline, but Liverpool boss came out on top
The 59-year-old said there's a 'magic' surrounding the pair and they've laughed about how similar they are
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ON the night Antonio Conte discovered there are no quick fixes in football, Jurgen Klopp confirmed that his Liverpool repair job is finally taking effect as his men triumphed 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
It has taken the Liverpool boss the best part of a year to turn an under-performing team into genuine title contenders.
So Conte can forget any idea of working an instant Chelsea miracle if this sorry showing is anything to go by.
Everything had been going so swimmingly for Conte up to this point that optimistic Blues fans were convinced their team were right back on track after last season’s horror show.
But the scars of that spineless title surrender clearly run much deeper than even Conte had realised.
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And it is clear that there is still a lot of hard work ahead before the Champions pennant is flying over Stamford Bridge again.
Mourinho versus Guardiola might have been a bit of a damp squib last week, but this collision of the Premier League’s other superstar coaches certainly didn’t disappoint.
No manager in the business can match Klopp for sheer passion and enthusiasm, but most of the touchline histrionics last night were coming from the Chelsea boss.
Conte spent the entire match on his feet, barely able to comprehend the horror show unfolding before his eyes.
He pointed and directed, cajoled and berated. But it was all to no effect .
So when Jordan Henderson doubled Liverpool’s lead ten minutes before the break, it was no surprise when Conte furiously booted a plastic drinks crate.
Every now and then he would spin on his heels to address his coaching team, not for their advice but simply to vent his spleen.
Klopp, in stark contrast, looked as though he didn’t have a care in the world as he cracked jokes with his mate Zelko Buvac.
And the German could afford to smile as his team ruthlessly exposed Chelsea’s underlying weaknesses to move to within two points of leaders Manchester City.
Of course it was never going to be total serenity from the most animated coach in the game.
For the first 15 minutes he didn’t even leave his seat, but when Dejan Lovren fired the visitors ahead Klopp was gurning like crazy as he leapt to his feet to celebrate.
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Teeth gritted and fists pumping away by his sides, he looked for all the world like a supporter who had suddenly realised he was in the wrong end of the ground.
At least he managed to keep his glasses on this time, which was a start.
Conte was getting so worked up by now that he was almost on the pitch as he tried to get some kind of a response from his players.
Fourth official Bobby Madley did his best to keep the Italian in his technical area, but it was a battle he was never going to win.
Yet encroachment was the least of Madley’s problems as he had to put up with the constant dialogue coming into his right ear from Klopp.
Every decision was questioned and debated by the Liverpool bench and it required the patience of a saint from Madley to ignore the constant chirruping.
Diego Costa’s 60th minute goal simply upped the ante, with Conte furiously waving his players forward and Klopp fretting over his dodgy defence.
At the final whistle Conte waited patiently at the players’ tunnel to shake Klopp’s hand and congratulate the winner of this battle of the master tacticians.
Yet Klopp was so busy hugging everyone in sight that he seemed oblivious to the gesture before an unimpressed Conte ran out of patience and headed for the dressing-room.