Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says that he is building something important at the West London club and his players are adapting well to his philosophy.

The Blues defeated Stoke City 2-1 in a close-fought encounter on Saturday to maintain their ten-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

"This must be Chelsea's mentality," Conte said after the win. "It is a great team and we must play always to win. In this game we showed from the start until the end the will to win the game, not to come here for only one point.

"I think when you want to win the league, it's important not to drop points when you play against teams that are medium or at the bottom. It's important to keep a continuity in the results. This is a winning mentality.

"This win is really important and I wanted to share my joy with my players and our fans after a very tough game. My players are understanding my idea of football and they are adapting to my system, my philosophy of football. For sure I think we are building something important.

"I have to thank all my players because they are working hard and they trust in our football, our idea. They are showing me in every game a great commitment, a great will to fight and to show we can win the league. But I think you can improve everything and for sure we must improve."