Antonio Conte

Chelsea have announced the appointment of former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri as their new head coach on a three-year deal.

The 59-year-old replaces fellow Italian Antonio Conte, who departed Stamford Bridge on Friday after two years at the club

The Italian was informed of his departure on Thursday

The Italian however said it was up to the club to decide whether to fire him.

Speculation Conte could leave Chelsea has intensified this term and he indicated he had the chance to return to the Italian national team, whom he led between 2014 and 2016

Balotelli is a long-time favourite of Mancini's and played under the newly installed head coach at Inter and Manchester City

The defeat was Jose Mourinho's first in six domestic cup finals in English football, but whether it proves enough to save the job of opposite number Antonio Conte remains to be seen

Few FA Cup finals have been as eagerly awaited as this season’s with both managers desperate to avoid the ignominy of ending the campaign without any silverware.

Danilo broke the deadlock with his third league goal of the season before Leonardo Ulloa headed home an equaliser for Chris Hughton’s men in the 20th minute

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte opted for Davide Zappacosta, Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso for the midfield role.

Swansea had seen the three teams below them in the table all pick up points earlier in the day with West Bromwich Albion and Southampton both winning, while Stoke City earned a point against Liverpool in a result which would have also been…

Antonio Conte's Blues have kept alive their faint hopes of a top-four finish and are now looking to keep up the pressure on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with an away win in Wales

The Blues will now take on United at Wembley in May where Conte will renew his fierce rivalry with Jose Mourinho

Chelsea lost the Cup to Arsenal last term

The Blues' hopes of securing Champions League football are fading fast, with Antonio Conte's team having fallen eight points behind the top four, and they are up against a Hammers side still fighting for their top-flight future

The Blues boast an impressive record against their London rivals at Stamford Bridge, but they head into the match on the back of a disappointing run of form and are in need of victory

The Blues have suffered back-to-back league defeats and trail fourth-placed Tottenham by five points and seventh-placed Liverpool with nine matches remaining

The narrow winning margin flattered the defending champions, who did not register a single shot on target in an unambitious attempt at a smash-and-grab from Antonio Conte

Only three points separate the two sides in the table ahead of the weekend's action, although both have been in less-than-convincing form of late

The Premier League champions have recovered from a poor run of form, winning consecutive matches over West Bromwich Albion in the league and Hull City in the FA Cup.