Hull City vs Chelsea: Antonio Conte slowly making progress as Blues demolish Hull during second-half blitz

The highly-regarded Italian is taking his time in resurrecting a club that underachieved last year

(Getty Images)

Antonio Conte’s efforts to stamp his tactical imprint on Chelsea is still a long way from fruition but, in the second half of this clinical demolition of Hull at least, there were encouraging signs.

The highly-regarded Italian appears to be taking his time in resurrecting a club that underachieved so chronically last season and this comfortable victory marked another step in that development.

After three games without a win, Conte adopted a three-man defensive approach, taking the radical steps of leaving out veteran Branislav Ivanovic - the first time he had been dropped since the Andre Villas-Boas era - while playing winger Victor Moses at wing-back for his first start in well over three years.

It was an approach he adopted, as a damage limitation exercise, in the second half of the recent 3-0 humiliation at Arsenal and, as a tactic for the full 90 minutes, it proved successful against Mike Phelan’s side.

Better yet, after Diego Costa had added to Willian’s opening goal and Conte screamed at his players to ensure they kept a clean sheet, his defence duly obliged - holding the opposition scoreless for just the second time this season.

“Obviously we work for this and it's always nice not to concede goals,” said defender Cesar Azpilicueta, who switched from full-back to join David Luiz and Gary Cahill at centre-back.

“In the last month we have been conceding too many goals and this is bad for the whole team.

“The manager is always trying to find the best solution for the team for the game and this week we have been working on the system.

“Personally training in this position, I am happy always to help the team wherever the manager needs me and when you win it means that the training and the whole week we have done worked for the result.”

Costa rifles home Chelsea's second (Getty Images)

Conte’s impact has certainly not been as dramatic as that made by Pep Guardiola, or even Jose Mourinho, at their respective clubs but the 47-year-old Italian is optimistic about his team’s progress.

“When you finish with a clean sheet, after you conceded in the last four games two or three goals, it is important because we needed to find more confidence in this aspect,” he said.

“We must continue to work because we know that to change the past, we need to work a lot.

“We need to work together. To understand that there is a route to improve and then to play the game against Liverpool, Arsenal, City, United or Tottenham in another aspect.”

Hull now enter an international break in which their priorty must surely be addressing matters off the field, with Mike Phelan still in temporary charge – as he has been since Steve Bruce departed in July.

Willian is congratulated by his team-mates at the KCOM Stadium (Getty Images)

Phelan is eager to sign a contract to become permanent manager at the KCOM Stadium but says the terms of the deal he has been offered have “fluctuated”.

“It's a situation where things just need to be ironed out,” Phelan said.

“I think I've been put on trial, I think I've been put in the mix where can I or can't I do the job. I think I've shown that I'm capable, that the players have responded well.

“The terms will always be private but they've fluctuated so I want to know what's going on, where I sit, what I can and can't do - all those questions need answering.

“And when you think you're there, which I did - I thought it was all sorted - it changed. I wanted to know why and I still need to know that.”