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Cape Town — Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was pleased with the positives he saw in the 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Everton, especially the performances of his youngsters.

The Blues went two goals clear at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday thanks to top strikes from Antonio Rudiger and Willian. Dominic Calvert-Lewin pulled one back for the Toffees in stoppage time but Conte’s men comfortably saw out the win.

Conte gave a number of youngsters a start, with Andreas Christensen, Kenedy, Ethan Ampadu, and Charly Musonda all making the starting line-up, and the Italian tactician was delighted with their contributions.

“I think the performance was very good, above all in the first half when we created chances to score,” Conte said after the game.

“Then in the second half, I think we suffered a bit, but I think it’s normal because Everton is a good team and they have just changed the coach, and usually in this type of situation the players want to try to give more.

“For this reason this game was very dangerous for us. But I’m very happy because tonight I saw a lot of positive things, above all the young players’ performance.

“I think tonight Charly Musonda and Kenedy and [Ethan] Ampadu, don’t forget he is only 17 years old, I think they played a good game.

“It’s very important to trust in these players, because I repeat they deserve to have this chance. And tonight I’m very happy because they had a good answer.” — Sport24.