Chelsea ride on Costa’s double
Diego Costa ended a seven-game goal drought to help Chelsea open up a seven-point lead in the Premier League with a 4-2 win over Southampton on Tuesday.
The second-half double halted a barren run that began shortly after a reported dispute at the club as Costa was reportedly linked with a move to the lucrative Chinese Super League.
Even as the goals dried up and the uncertainty about Costa’s future persisted, manager Antonio Conte never doubted his striker’s ability to make an impact in the title run-in. “For the forward it’s very important to score ... because the goal is your life,” Conte said. “But for me I always said I’m very pleased for his commitment, for his work for the team, because he’s always working for the team.”
Costa was heavily involved as early as the fifth minute at Stamford Bridge when he set up Eden Hazard’s opener. After Gary Cahill restored Chelsea’s lead, Costa scored two contrasting goals in the second half.
The striker’s 50th Premier League goal was a header from Cesc Fabregas’ cross and his next goal was the culmination of a mazy run through the defence.
Those goals helped the league leaders nudge closer to regaining the trophy from Leicester, having had their advantage trimmed by Tottenham. Secondplace Tottenham are now on the back foot as they play Crystal Palace. But one potential obstacle to Chelsea’s winning the title on the five-match final stretch remains the leaky defence that had been so sturdy earlier in the season. Both Southampton goals came from former Chelsea players, with Oriol Romeu and Ryan Bertrand making it 12 league games since Conte’s side kept a clean sheet.
“When you keep a clean sheet, it’s a great achievement for your team,” Conte said. “I think this situation we have to improve. We have to try to improve our mistakes.”