Antonio Conte Apologises After Sending Off in Chelsea vs. Swansea City

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte apologised for his conduct after he was sent from the sidelines during his team's 1-0 win over Swansea City in the Premier League on Wednesday.

The Italian was livid in the first period when referee Neil Swarbrick didn't give the Blues a corner and was consequently sent to the dressing room to watch the game on a television feed.

Speaking after the match, Conte said he let the emotions of an important contest get the better of him.

"I apologise for this," he said, per Neil Johnston of BBC Sport. "I was frustrated. For sure I made a mistake. During the game I suffer. With my players I suffer. It's a pity."

Conte was first sent to sit in the stands, but it was deemed he was not far enough away from the pitch. As such, he was advised to go back down the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.

As Ed Aarons of the Guardian noted, the Chelsea chief took out some frustration on the fourth official:

Conte was at least able to watch his team take the three points, as a second-half goal from Antonio Rudiger saw the Blues make their dominance count.

Prior to that, Chelsea had been left a little frustrated. Swansea, in 19th position in the Premier League table, battled hard to try to secure a draw and did well to stifle the Blues attack. 

The former Juventus man is renowned as one of the most passionate coaches in football, although it's been a while since he was sent off in a similar fashion, as Liam Twomey of ESPN FC noted:

He was also quizzed on whether he believes the Football Association will take action after his tirade at the referees:

The result was important for the Blues, who maintained their impressive recent form and ensured they still have a slender chance of defending their Premier League title.

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The three points against Swansea see Chelsea remain in third place in the standings, 11 points behind leaders Manchester City. It was close to being nine points before Raheem Sterling's dramatic late winner for City against Southampton on Wednesday.

As we can see below, reporters joked with Conte about his reaction to that strike and City's 2-1 win:

There's little room for error with City on a relentless charge at the top of the table, but Conte will keep encouraging his players in the event of Pep Guardiola's side running into some trouble.

Evidently, even after winning the Premier League title during his first season at Chelsea, determination and passion are still pulsing in Conte.