WHY CHELSEA'S FA CUP WIN WILL NOT SAVE ANTONIO CONTE

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte delivered a passionate defence of his style and successes while their supporters once more pledged loud allegiance to the Italian - but there was no escaping the sense of finality about this FA Cup victory.

Conte's record in two seasons with the Blues is one Premier League title andone FA Cup win - the latter secured by Eden Hazard's first-half penalty at Wembley on Saturday.

That record is more than respectable. It is more than most others have managed. Yet it will not, barring a currently unforeseeable and remarkable reversal, be enough to keep the 48-year-old in his job once the dust has settled on another season of uncertainty at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's FA Cup win contained characteristics associated with Conte since his arrival in England after a spell in charge of Italy at Euro 2016.

As they defended the lead Hazard had given them, the Blues were steely, organised, resilient and victorious. He had done to his adversary, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, what the Portuguese has done to so many others - and in a similar style.

And yet Conte still faces the same exit as many of his predecessors, including Mourinho, from a club who live so often in a state of flux and yet seem to thrive on it.

Chelsea's FA Cup win puts a final coat of gloss on a largely disappointing season in which their title defence has been flimsy - with not even a place in the top four to bolster it - and Champions League aspirations were snuffed out by Barcelona at the last-16 stage.

Conte remains a hugely popular figure with fans, his name booming out as he bounded up the stairs to join his players as they prepared to lift the trophy.

It would be enough for most managers to be able to prepare in security for next season - but not Conte. When the celebrations are finished and he has been allowed to enjoy his win, it seems inevitable his departure will be confirmed.

Conte and Chelsea's season has bubbled away on a hob of discontent, the manager cutting a dissatisfied and occasionally disconnected figure, unhappy with his lot.

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