Antonio Conte was thrilled to see his Chelsea players respond so strongly on Tuesday night.

The Premier League leaders came off a tough 4-2 FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday to restore their lead at the top of the table to seven points with a similar result against Southampton.

Goals from Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill and a brace from Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge saw the West Londoners follow up their strong showing at Wembley with another accomplished performance.

"It was a good win," Conte told Sky Sports.

"Today I have to be pleased with the effort of my players. It wasn't easy after a tough game against Tottenham. Southampton have good players and play good football.

"My choice was right for the game against Tottenham and the game today. It's not easy to make these strong choices.

"To score at the end of the first half was very important. I was confident. I was seeing the team show a great will to win. In this part of the season, it's not easy.

"We must be confident for the future. It's important to look at ourselves and not the other [Spurs]."

Chelsea will now prepare for Sunday's trip to Goodison Park to take on sixth-placed Everton.