Antonio Conte convinced he can end Tottenham's wait for a trophy after West Ham win

Antonio Conte, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates their side's second goal scored by Lucas Moura (not pictured) during the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Antonio Conte is set for a reunion with Chelsea after Tottenham were paired with his former club in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup - and he is eyeing the tie as a chance to take Spurs a step closer to ending their 14-year wait for a trophy.
The all-London affair was confirmed after Spurs edged out West Ham 2-1 in their quarter-final, while Chelsea won 2-0 away to west London neighbours Brentford.
Arsenal will play Liverpool in the other semi-final after Jurgen Klopp’s side fought back from 3-1 down against Leicester at Anfield to draw 3-3 and win 5-4 on penalties.
Asked about taking on his former club, Conte – who led Chelsea to Premier League glory in 2017 and FA Cup success the following year – told Sky Sports: "First of all it’s good for Tottenham to reach a semi-final in this competition.
"You can see the names of the teams that reach this semi-final – Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea with us.
"It means that every club wants to try and lift this trophy.
"I remember in the past when I was in Chelsea this trophy was not secondary. But it was used to play with young players and players that did not start in the XI.
"Now I’m seeing in England that to win a trophy is very difficult and we have to beat important teams.
"For sure we can do better but I've seen improvements in some parts, especially when in possession of the ball. We tried to control the game and we scored the first goal, it was an amazing goal involving many players.
"The performance was good and it's important to recover. We played many players that have had Covid. They kept the intensity but we have to manage the situation very well. Today was good and important for me that I know I can count on a squad of many players."
Today's Headlines
'not sustainable' | Boris Johnson finally agrees to resign as UK Conservative Party leader
young victims | Cheer star Jerry Harris says ‘I am not an evil person’ as he's jailed for child porn crimes
Writing on the wall | Loyalists turn on ex-British soldier Philip McLernon after child porn conviction
solidarity | Taoiseach tells Zelensky Ireland will increase funds to bring ‘war criminals’ to justice
detention | Nicki Minaj’s husband under house arrest for failing to register as sex offender
'personalised' | Leo Varadkar hits out at ‘political opponents’ who alleged he broke the law
verbally abusive | Dublin man who called gardaí ‘rat ba*****s' and threatened to smash patrol car avoids jail
fowl play | Kinahan cartel gangster Barry Fowler jailed for six years after being caught with €134k drugs
court ruling | Man who killed pal in crash refused license after victim's sisters saw him driving while banned
Water way to go | Prehistoric frogs likely died in a swamp sex trap – Irish scientists solve ancient mystery