Saturday 3 December 2016 18:50, UK
Diego Costa was the man of the match as Chelsea won 3-1 at Manchester City on Saturday. In this form, there’s every chance the striker will fire his team to the title, writes Adam Bate.
If told beforehand that the Premier League joint-top scorer would be sent off for a wild challenge in stoppage time, there would not have been too many who'd have put their money on Sergio Aguero to be the man to lose his head. And yet, so it proved.
It was Aguero who was guilty of lunging in on David Luiz after his Chelsea counterpart Diego Costa had already won the game for the visitors. Costa's controlled aggression and relentless work was just too much for Manchester City. Not to mention his quality.
Costa's brilliant finish gave Antonio Conte's team the equaliser and it was his hold-up play, shrugging off the hapless Nicolas Otamendi, which helped set up Willian for what proved to be the winner. He'd been subbed before Eden Hazard's third but by then the job was done.
He was absolutely brilliant. He took the game by the scruff of the neck and influenced it in a big way.
"It's very rare you see a truly brilliant centre-forward display but in this second half we've seen it," Gary Neville told Sky Sports. "He was absolutely brilliant. He scored one goal and set up another. He took the game by the scruff of the neck and influenced it in a big way."
There are quicker forwards than Costa and more cultured finishers. Some can be more creative, others might be bigger. But it's difficult to think of a player who better combines the qualities required in a striker. At his best, Costa is the complete centre-forward.
And from the moment early on when John Stones was dispossessed while dallying in his own area, this was Costa at his best. City's centre-backs were so woefully outgunned - so bullied - that it wasn't inconceivable to think Costa was the best defender on show as well.
"In the boxes they are so, so strong," City boss Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports afterwards with a sigh and a shrug. He meant the Chelsea team but he might have been talking about Costa alone given that he also produced three clearances from his own side's penalty area.
His goal harked back to the early months of his Chelsea career when his combination play with Cesc Fabregas proved too much for the Premier League. Pulling into the space between the City defenders, he proved the perfect target for the midfielder's exquisite pass.
"I thought that was a thing of the past," said Neville of the link up having seen Costa hold off a challenge and slam the ball beyond Claudio Bravo. The striker scored 20 goals that season as Chelsea marched to the title. He's already hit the net 11 times in the current campaign.
If anything, Costa is even more important to his team now. The pass for Willian's goal at the Etihad Stadium was also his fifth assist this term, more than he managed in that title-winning season. He's bringing others into play better than ever.
Costa's repertoire is expanding. He's even scored twice from outside the box this season having not done so once in either of his previous two Premier League campaigns. But the one thing he's cut out from his game is also a clue to his increased focus.
"I cannot fight against the world," Costa told Sky Sports upon receiving his man-of-the-match award. He's now gone eight games for club and country without picking up a booking. He's not gone nine games without a yellow card in more than five years.
This is a more disciplined Costa. "I think this is the big change," his team-mate Hazard explained. "Before he was scoring goals a lot but sometimes getting yellow and red cards. He's been on fire since the start of the season and I want him to stay on top."
If Costa does that then there's every chance that Chelsea will do the same. He's been directly involved in half of the team's Premier League goals this season. And while it's unclear how Conte's men will fare without him, at this rate, they might not need to find out.
For while Aguero now faces a four-game suspension, Costa, who is already on the longest sequence of starts in his Chelsea career, can look forward to facing West Brom. "I just want to be cool," he said afterwards. But as Hazard pointed out, Diego Costa is on fire.
