Antonio Conte: How win over Man Utd showed Chelsea boss is still up for the fight

The figure regarded as Chelsea’s greatest summer folly was standing only yards away from Conte – namely Nemanja Matic, the giant who was a title-winning midfield enforcer in last season’s title win.

There was general bemusement that Matic had not only been allowed to leave, but leave for Manchester United and a reunion with Mourinho.

The wisdom was that Chelsea had not only weakened their own hand with the sale of the 29-year-old Serb, but at the same time had markedly strengthened one of their closest rivals.

It is an argument with merit but the concerns may just have eased with the return to fitness of N’Golo Kante after three weeks out with a hamstring injury suffered on international duty with France.

Bakayoko is still very much a work in progress but Kante’s comeback gave Chelsea a world-class operator in midfield and at least something of the look of the side who won the title so impressively.

Conte could use this pair to free Cesc Fabregas into a more positive role, allowing the Spain international to create six goalscoring opportunities in this match. No other Chelsea player provided more than one.

And Conte still had the luxury of bringing on Danny Drinkwater, Kante’s old title-winning midfield partner in crime at Leicester City, to shore up the victory.

With Morata on target again with a towering header and Andreas Christensen showing his growing maturity, Conte looked a lot happier with life and the strength of his squad in his post-match briefing.

The final judgement on the decision to sell Matic can only truly be made at the end of the season – but it does not look quite as damaging when Kante is back and seemingly doing the work of three men in midfield with such ease.

Chelsea, despite the loss to Roma, are in a strong position to reach the Champions League group phase, are still in the Carabao Cup and now stand just one point off second-placed United after this win.

So it has hardly been a crisis.