Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was caught off guard by an Italian prankster at his pre-match press conference in Cobham this afternoon.
Conte was previewing tomorrow night’s FA Cup fifth round clash with Hull City when he was presented with a signed Jose Mourinho Manchester United jersey with his name emblazoned across the back.
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Mourinho and Conte have been locked in a back-and-forth war of words ever since Chelsea thrashed United 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in October 2016, where Mourinho suggested to Conte that his touchline celebrations had 'humiliated' him upon his return to his former club.
The two have been trading insults ever since with Mourinho alluding to Conte's match-fixing allegations while Conte has brought up the amount of money United have spent and has waved Mourinho off as a 'little man'.
While Mourinho has traded verbal barbs with Conte for over a season now, he was effusive in his praise of Newcastle United following their 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday.
A Matt Ritchie goal was the difference between the two sides with Mourinho now winless in seven attempts at St James’ Park.
“Newcastle United’s players and, of course, their staff gave what they have and what they don’t have and I think that’s a beautiful thing in football,” said Mourinho.
“I think they came to fight for a point but found themselves 1-0 up and went beyond all the limits. They showed everything a manager likes to see in this game. I can imagine that Benítez is more than pleased with the effort.
"Were they lucky? Yes, they were but sometimes you make your own luck with your state of mind. The way they fought for every last thing is a beautiful thing.”
