Diego Costa’s Chelsea winner indicative of remarkable turnaround
Diego Costa bagged the winner for Chelsea against West Brom on Sunday. The nature of the goal was one that he would not have converted last season.
Chelsea stretched their Premier League winning streak to an impressive nine games on Sunday. The Blues eventually broke down a resilient West Brom side at Stamford Bridge, securing a tough 1-0 victory. Diego Costa got the winner for Antonio Conte’s men, with an effort that he would have failed to produce last season.
Tony Pulis had set up his team brilliantly on Sunday afternoon. West Brom were incredibly organised, neutralising the attacking threat of the Chelsea wing-backs by essentially playing six at the back when defending.
The Blues were forced into a number of sideways passes as they struggled to find the necessary space to get in behind. Fortunately, Diego Costa showed invaluable tenacity to break the deadlock in the 76th minute.
More from The Pride of London
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
A rather hopeful ball from Cesc Fabregas down the right flank left Costa with much to do. Gareth McAuley was favourite to comfortably deal with the situation, but that did not deter the striker.
Costa pressured the West Brom defender and out-muscled him, poking the ball towards the goal and latching onto it. He then held off McAuley as he attempted to atone for his error, before rocketing the ball into the net with his left foot.
It was some finish and some goal; the moment of magic that Chelsea were desperate for.
Moreover, it was the type of goal that the 2015/16 edition of Diego Costa would have failed to score. Glenn Hoddle rightly pointed out, while commentating for BT Sport, that Costa would probably fouled McAuley last season.
Costa, one year ago, seemed more concerned with fighting opposition defenders than sticking the ball in the back of the net. In a similar situation, he would have bundled into the defender clumsily, before flailing his arms at the referee once he had justifiably awarded a free-kick.
This time, though, he only had eyes for the spherical object. The replays showed that the challenge was clean and legal. Costa had fairly won the ball without resorting to dirty tactics.
This is yet another representation of Costa’s remarkable turnaround. Some Chelsea fans were even pushing for his sale over the summer, but now he is the leading Premier League scorer. His attitude is refreshed and his contributions team-orientated.
Chelsea are flying high at the summit of English football and Diego Costa is a significant reason for this. You would not have thought that this would be the case some six months ago.