Conte left with bitter taste as Napoli concede late equaliser against Roma

ROME : Napoli coach Antonio Conte expressed his frustration after his side conceded a last-gasp equaliser to AS Roma on Sunday that left him with a "bitter taste in the mouth".

Leonardo Spinazzola gave Napoli an early lead, however, Roma's Angelino volleyed home in a crowded penalty area in stoppage time to level the scores and secure a 1-1 draw.

"A draw away to Roma is not a bad result, while to see Roma celebrating like crazy after scoring a late equaliser against us also means that we are doing something important here," Conte told a press conference.

"Roma had won seven in a row at the Olimpico, which is always a difficult place to play. We inevitably leave here with a bitter taste in our mouths because we were in the lead until the 92nd minute without really being under pressure."

Despite Sunday's stalemate, Conte praised his squad's progress, pointing to their seven-point haul from recent matches against Atalanta, Juventus and Roma.

"These things happen, it's part of the growth process for these boys. It's another point in the locker and we'll move on, happy with what we're doing and the gradual improvement," he said.

"We have to learn that the details make the difference and we have to work to learn from that."

The Italian manager said the transfer window had created instability, with Napoli having sold Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris St Germain last month.

"I've seen that the transfer deadline has been moved to Feb. 3, it's getting longer rather than shorter and it's an absurd period for coaches," he said. "It creates instability and that is not something we want."