It seems a long, long time ago that Antonio Conte was the toast of Stamford Bridge.

The Italian guided Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season in charge, which included an incredible 13-match winning streak, meaning he had won four successive domestic crowns, having won three for Juventus.

His stock was remarkably high at the time, having started the three-at-the-back trend that has subsequently been replicated by Arsenal and Manchester City of note.

However, since lifting the trophy at Stamford Bridge in May, things have turned sour for Conte in West London.

They lost the FA Cup final 2-1 to Arsenal, in which Victor Moses was sent off, before a very public falling out with Diego Costa, who has since re-signed for Atletico Madrid, and they had lost three of their first nine league matches this term.

And after being hammered 3-0 by Roma in the Champions League in midweek, Conte's job was reportedly hanging by a thread ahead of their clash with rivals Manchester United.

The players rallied for their boss though, and secured a vital 1-0 win thanks to Alvaro Morata's stunning header.

Despite the victory, there are fears now though that the Italian may have made a fatal error that could ultimately lead to his departure.

Conte dropped David Luiz, one of the big influences in the Chelsea dressing room, from the matchday squad for the visit of United, instead preferring Andreas Christensen, who he later described as the "present and future" of Chelsea.

The Italian claimed it was purely tactical, but the spotlight will now be on the pair in the coming weeks.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville though believes the decision could ultimately cost the former Juventus man his job, as historically those choices haven't gone down well at Chelsea.

"Every manager who has taken on the players here has gone pretty quickly," he said after the game, per the Mirror.

"It is a big call because if you take on these players in that dressing room, where David Luiz is a big influence, a big character, you can lose at this club. This is not the end of this — this is the start.

"Conte has won today, but in two or three weeks’ time if David Luiz is still sat on that bench, every time they concede a goal, the cameras will flip to David Luiz. It was the same with John Terry."

Terry and Costa both left Stamford Bridge after their fall-outs with Conte, so it would be no surprise if Luiz was to follow the same route in January.