Football Football Ferguson is a special person – Conte Antonio Conte sent a message of goodwill to Alex Ferguson in the aftermath of Chelsea's 1-0 win over Liverpool in the Premier League. Stephen Creek 07 May, 2018 01:22 IST Chelsea manager Antonio Conte - Getty Images Stephen Creek 07 May, 2018 01:22 IST Antonio Conte said the news of Alex Ferguson suffering a brain haemorrhage was on his mind during preparations for Chelsea's 1-0 win over Liverpool and wished the former Manchester United manager a quick recovery. Ferguson had emergency surgery on Saturday and United said the operation went "very well". Conte played against Ferguson's United side for Juventus in a number of Champions League clashes and he spoke of their relationship after his team's victory, which came thanks to a first-half goal from Olivier Giroud. "I am very sad," he told reporters. "I have had the possibility to know him and his wife, to understand this is a special person. Not a normal person. "He won many titles in his career and I appreciate the man. Yesterday the news changed my day in a bad way. "We hope to see him recover quickly and our best wishes for this. Now it is very difficult and we want to stay close." Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE Please enter a valid email address. Dugout videos