Last year Chelsea immortalised Antonio Conte in the form of an emoji, but, nearly 12 months on, the club are making mincemeat of yet another coach.

Conte kicked out at the water bottles near the home dug-out after Dele Alli had scored the third goal that made certain of Tottenham Hotspur’s first victory at Stamford Bridge since 1990, but after that he looked like a man who knew his fate.

There was no ranting or raving, as Conte watched most of the remaining 24 minutes with his hands in his pockets. He would probably tell you privately he has had his hands tied behind his back for much of this season.

Conte claimed he did not “want to create problems”, but also said he had become “tired” of repeating himself as he insisted he was not worried about the consequences of finishing outside the top four.

“No, I'm not worried,” said Conte. “Honestly, I think that I'm giving – the players are giving – everything this season. We are working very hard to try to have a good season, but I think that, in the end, we are deserving of this season. It means that our value is this.