Blues Boss Antonio Conte Can't Hide His Disappointment as Chelsea Lose Carabao Cup Semi-Final

Disappointment was very much the mood as Antonio Conte left the field after his Chelsea side lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday

Disappointment was very much the mood as Antonio Conte left the field after his Chelsea side lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

After his side dominated the first half, going ahead after just six minutes through Eden Hazard, Antonio Rudiger's own goal and Granit Xhaka's poke put Arsenal in their first league cup final since 2011.

It wasn't to be...

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— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 24, 2018

When asked about his feelings on the game, Conte was very much to the point: "Disappointment, but I must be pleased with my players for their efforts," the Italian said, speaking to Sky Sports after the game.

"It's a pity for me, for my players and for the fans. We were having a good run in this competition.

"Conceding two goals like that was unlucky, two deflections are difficult to deal with."

One last push.

COME ON YOU BLUES! 👊 #ARSCHE pic.twitter.com/ONlS9LrQkx

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 24, 2018

Chelsea dominated the play in the first half, keeping Arsenal very much at bay during the majority of the opening 45 minutes.

"We started very well, we played a good first half. In the second half there was a lot of balance, for sure."

But Willian's hamstring pull after half and hour seemed to hit Chelsea harder than initially expected, as it seemed to be the turning point for Arsenal to start clawing their way back into the game.

"It's not simple when there's an injury to one of your best players, also because the only real substitute we had on the bench was [Ross] Barkley.

I happy with the effort my players put in. We have to accept the final result."

Conte also spoke about Barkley's debut, saying that the English midfielder was thrown into the game earlier than intended.

"I think he has a lot of space to improve and he's working on that. But he's only been here two weeks. I was forced to make the substitution but I think he can improve a lot."

Conte was also quick to throw away any thought that he was unhappy with his current squad amid rumours of a move for a new striker in the January window.

"I don't need anything. I'm a coach and i'll continue to work with these players, I'm very happy to stay with these players."