Antonio Conte has admitted that he felt obliged to applaud Middlesbrough's travelling contingent of supporters after his Chelsea side sent them packing from the Premier League.
The Blues earned a convincing 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, denying Boro the point they required to keep their lingering survival hopes alive.
Middlesbrough's fans stayed behind at full time to clap off their own players, and Conte wanted to repay the gesture by doing likewise when walking over to them at the end.
Antonio Conte: 'I felt in my heart to go and clap the fans and also wish every single Middlesbrough player good luck for next season.' pic.twitter.com/0WToUqB1tv
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 9, 2017
"It's great to see a team that got relegated and to see their fans clapping the players and them staying behind to clap them back," he told reporters.
"This situation happens only in England. In Italy it's difficult to see a team being relegated. I felt in my heart to go and clap these fans and tell every single player good luck."
Boro have now been relegated from the Premier League four times - joint-most along with Norwich City, Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
Daniel Lewis
