Despite the lengthy absentee list, Napoli started brightly against Liam Rosenior’s side. The hosts, featuring a spine of former Premier League talent including Scott McTominay, Rasmus Hojlund and Romelu Lukaku, fought bravely to keep their qualification hopes alive. After Enzo Fernandez had given the visitors an early lead from the penalty spot, Napoli roared back.
Youngster Antonio Vergara netted his first goal for the club before former Manchester United striker Hojlund fired them into a 2-1 lead at the break. For a brief period, it looked as though Conte would get one over on his old employers. However, the second half belonged to the Londoners. Joao Pedro proved to be the match-winner, scoring a brace to secure a 3-2 victory that propelled Chelsea directly into the last-16 and condemned Napoli to elimination.
Conte, however, refused to criticise his players, instead praising their resilience against a top-tier European opponent. "Each of us is trying to do our best, playing without 13 players, many of them key, and holding our own against Chelsea in a European level match is the most important thing," he insisted.
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