BRING BACK THE BEAST
EVERY KICK, EVERY GOAL, EVERY GAME Conte needs hitman Costa to show his snarling best
DIEGO COSTA showed his soft side this weekend – but it’s the ruthless, goal-hungry animal Chelsea need back.
The Blues striker met a young fan in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge after his side’s shock defeat at home to Crystal Palace.
The boy was one of three children with serious or life-threatening illnesses Chelsea had invited to the game to meet their heroes as part of the club’s Wishes programme.
And after he gave Costa a note which read: “Diego, you are the best, I have seen you on TV and can’t believe I am meeting you.”
The Spain star hugged him and gave him his match shirt. It was a rare glimpse of another side of the striker, who is no stranger to controversy and had a bust-up with the coaching staff earlier this season.
But it was the only heart-warming moment of the day for Chelsea, and especially Costa (right), whose goals have dried up since he was linked with a move to China.
Cesc Fabregas put the Blues in front, only for Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke to halt their club record 13-game winning run at home and rekindle the title race.
Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey was inspired, but too many times Chelsea players flashed crosses across his area and there was nobody to meet them.
In his first 10 games of the season Costa scored seven goals. He’s found the net just three times in his last 10.
And with Manchester City up next, Antonio Conte admits this defeat will be harder to bounce back from than previous reverses against Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool. The Blues boss said: “I think this defeat is totally different. If you compare this defeat with the other defeats, we are another team. “I think we are a strong team. For sure it wasn’t our day because we created a lot of chances to score a goal. We dominated the game.” Spurs closed the gap on the leaders to seven points by winning at Burnley and Conte admits the title race is not over yet. He said: “I think that this league was not finished before this game and it’s not finished now. “There are nine games to play and we have to think step by step. I repeat, at the end, if we deserve to win the title, we will be very happy. “If someone else deserves to win the title, it means that they have played better than us.”
Praise
Palace won their fourth game in a row to ease their relegation worries and boss Sam Allardyce was full of praise for Zaha. Zaha snubbed the chance to play for England, choosing the Ivory Coast instead, and has scored two goals, one a classic solo effort, in his last three games for the Eagles. Allardyce said: “I think he is starting to enjoy his football by his performances, I think you’ve seen that, and by the decision he’s made, playing for Ivory Coast now is final. “Am I worried about keeping him? In today’s world a player of Wilfried’s capabilities, if you see them grow and become quality players for your team and continue to help you win football matches, it’s bound to make interest from other clubs. “When that day comes, we can’t moan because we’ll have done all we can for Wilf and he will have done all he can for us. “But he is on a long contract, so there is not that danger at the moment of losing him.”