Chelsea marched on to another victory against West Brom, as they continue their seemingly unstoppable charge for the Premier League title.
It was none other than Spaniard Diego Costa who gifted the Blues a hard fought win at Stamford Bridge. Costa muscled the ball away from West Brom defender Gareth McAuley and finished it from a tight angle to give Chelsea the lead in the 76th minute. The Costa goal proved to be the difference maker, as Chelsea sealed another three points to put them three points clear of second placed Arsenal atop the Premier League table.
After the game, Blues manager Antonio Conte was full of praise for Costa. The Italian commended him on the one aspect that many would believe is incapable of being associated with the Spaniard, his discipline.
“January is arriving no? It’s incredible,” said Conte, according to Sky Sports.
“After the Arsenal defeat Diego had four yellow cards and was on the edge.”
The last time Costa saw yellow was against Arsenal in the humiliating 3-0 loss against Arsenal in late September. He has since gone nine games without even receiving a yellow card.
Costa is currently leading the Premier League goal scoring charts with 12 strikes to his name. On top of that, his five assists this season means that he also leads the charts as the player who has been directly involved in the most goals in the league so far this campaign.
The fiery Spanish striker was linked heavily with a move back to Atletico Madrid this summer. The Stamford Bridge faithful will be thankful that the transfer didn’t materialize, and Costa remained with them after a poor season last time around.
It was believed that new Italian manager Antonio Conte would get rid of Costa because of the latter’s disciplinary issues. However Conte identified the Spaniard as a key player, and has helped him become one of the most feared marksmen around this season.
