Costa back in the groove as Chelsea edge closer to title
IT has been rather a good four days for Chelsea. The sevenpoint lead at the top has been restored, maybe a little damage done to a few egos at Tottenham — and Diego Costa has started scoring again.
This was his best performance in a Chelsea shirt for some time. He made the first goal, scored the third, his 50th Premier League strike, scored the fourth — and came close to removing Gary Cahill’s head from its shoulders in an attempt to get the second, too.
March 6 was the date of Costa’s last Chelsea goal and his form was starting to become a bit of a worry, particularly with Michy Batshuayi out of the team for a reason.
Costa was a handful, which he had to be, because Southampton are the same. They made Chelsea anxious and it was not until Costa scored the third that the locals began to feel comfortable.
It was a good goal, too, featuring the same three players who had combined to conjure Chelsea’s first, although in different order.
Eden Hazard got the ball on the right and darted inside, he laid off to Cesc Fabregas, who crossed for Costa to rise above Southampton’s defence and steer a header home.
The fourth was vintage Chelsea, vintage Costa. He held the ball up, ran into the area, chasers bouncing off him as he went, laid the ball to Hazard, got it back and then finished well. If he is on his game like this for the remainder of the campaign, it will be hard to stop Chelsea, even if a late header from Ryan Bertrand gave the scoreline a closeness it scarcely deserved.
Of his star striker, Antonio Conte said: ‘I’ve always been pleased with his commitment, his work for the team. Sometimes, he has been unlucky, but I was always confident about him.’
So it is over to Tottenham at Selhurst Park tonight, a tricky fixture even if Crystal Palace do not seem threatened by relegation. The reason for that, however, is that they are a team in form.
‘It’s always good to play before (Tottenham) and put pressure on them,’ said Hazard.
‘It’s always good to score and create a lot of chances, too. We scored four beautiful goals.’
Chasing down Leicester last season, it was Spurs who blinked first and, if they do so again, it will remove a lot of the tension around Chelsea. And it was tense at times last night — not least when Saints found an unlikely way back into the game in the first half.
Stamford Bridge was silenced by Oriol Romeu’s equaliser. His goal meant that Romeu has now scored as many goals at Stamford Bridge for Southampton as he had for Chelsea. One.
Despite going behind early, Saints had already caused jitters in the home penalty area by the time Hazard scored after five minutes.
Manolo Gabbiadini almost took advantage on three minutes and after N’Golo Kante had fouled Sofiane Boufal, Jack Stephens almost got in at the far post from the free-kick.
So it came as something of a relief when Hazard put Chelsea in front. Fabregas played a pass to Costa on the right and he cut the ball back to Hazard, who finished across the face of Fraser Forster.
It should have relaxed Chelsea, but Southampton had plenty of possession after that and only looked vulnerable from an 18thminute counter-attack when the same trio combined — Fabregas to Costa, who touched the ball on to Hazard, who should have done better.
Yet Southampton remained a threat and perhaps the equaliser was inevitable. Chelsea have not been themselves at the back lately, and Conte will have been far from happy with the goal.
James Ward-Prowse was the provider, Cesar Azpilicueta’s head could not divert the ball clear and it fell to Gabbiadini at the far post. Thibaut Courtois tried to smother, but the ball found a way through to Romeu, who was standing in the six-yard box in front of an empty goal. He didn’t miss.
It took Chelsea ten minutes to get going again. Kante made a surging run into the Southampton area before his cross was cleared. Marcos Alonso won the header and Costa tumbled under pressure from Steven Davis, but referee Lee Mason was unmoved.
Finally the ball was recycled to Nemanja Matic, who saw his shot deflected wide.
Had Chelsea gone in level at half-time, who knows what effect it might have had on their psyche — but, in added time, Cahill settled their minds once more.
Kante swept the ball into a crowded penalty area from the left and Marcos Alonso won it. Costa wound up for an overhead kick, but in swooped Chelsea’s captain with a header to defeat Forster.
These games are never less than fraught, but Cahill allowed the half-time team talk to be delivered in relative calm.
The Italian said afterwards: ‘We’ve passed a big psychological step after the defeat against Manchester United. We had to prepare for an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham and then another tough game in the league.
‘We have had a really important test and our answer was very good. For this reason, I must be pleased.
‘But we must think this title race is open. We’ve reached the FA Cup final, which is a great incentive for us. But the other competition, the league, is totally open.
‘We are ready to fight until the end. We have to try to push until the end to keep our position.’