Chelsea 2-0 Hull verdict: Costa back in business as Blues stretch lead

Diego Costa back in the goals as Chelsea beat Hull

Back in the team, back in the goals and back in business for Diego Costa as the Premier League’s top scorer duly despatched Hull City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The pre-match talk was all about the colourful striker as Chelsea aimed to take advantage of so many of their rivals dropping points on what could well prove a pivotal weekend in the race for the title.

Speaking ahead of the game Antonio Conte insisted he had no second thoughts about starting his star man who hadn’t featured since the defeat to Tottenham after a very public spat with his manager.

“There was no hesitation in starting Costa as I try to make the best decision to help the team,” he told Sky Sports ahead of kick-off.

Stoppage time strike

Once again Conte was proved spot on by Costa, who almost scored after just 20 seconds, hammering a low shot just wide of Eldin Jakupovic’s right hand post.

He also found the back of the net after 40 minutes, firing the ball home only to be denied by the offside flag. Costa gave the official a cheeky wag of the finger in disagreement but otherwise held his tongue. And just as well, he didn’t have long to wait.

A lengthy injury to Ryan Mason saw a huge nine minutes of stoppage time added after the first half and with 52 minutes on the clock he finally broke the deadlock.

Victor Moses played a low ball into the box and Costa blasted it home from close range before celebrating with a “you talk too much” signal. Hardly subtle, but we all knew what he was going on about.

Hull came roaring back in the second half, pinning the Blues back with a performance that belied their position in the bottom three and leaving Conte to send for reinforcements with Cesc Fabregas and Willian replacing Eden Hazard and Pedro.

There was a real anxiety around Stamford Bridge for large swathes of the second half until with nine minutes to go Gary Cahill headed Fabregas’ free kick home and the points were safe. Costa departed on 86 minutes to huge cheers of ‘Diego, Diego’ from the home faithful and a handshake from Conte. Job, very much done.

Advantage Chelsea after rivals stumble

And so, three points in the bag, Costa on the scoresheet and it was so nearly the perfect weekend for the Blues. Indeed with 97 minutes on the clock at Arsenal and the scores at 1-1 it looked like the title race was virtually over.

Alexis Sanchez’s late, late spot kick slightly ruined matters for the Blues as the Gunners moved into second place in the table. However, expect ramifications from that match, Arsene Wenger was sent to the stands and the north Londoners were far from convincing against a side that has not won away in the Premier League all season.

But, with Liverpool losing and Spurs and Manchester City drawing things could not have done much better for Conte’s men.

Chelsea end the weekend eight points clear, after eight straight home wins while Costa is on 15 goals for the season. Sunday was also his 100^th Chelsea appearance, he has 52 goals and 17 assists in that time, a phenomenal record particularly when you take last season’s travails into account.

Will he make another 100 for Chelsea? Highly unlikely, and there are 30 million reasons why he might leave for China in the summer, but right now the emphasis is on the rest of the season and the title.

Next up for Chelsea in the Premier League? A trip to Anfield to face Liverpool before Arsenal visit Stamford Bridge. Tasty.

Chelsea: Courtois (7); Azpilicueta (6), David Luiz (6), Cahill (8); Moses (7.5), Kante (6), Matic (7), Alonso (7); Pedro (5), (Willian (6.5)), Costa (8.5), (Batshuayi (6)), Hazard (5) (Fabregas (7)).

Unused subs: Begovic, Zouma, Chalobah, Ake

Hull City: Jakupovic (6.5); Maguire (8), Dawson (6.5), Davies (6) (Niasse (6.5)); Elabdellaoui (5.5), Mason (6) (Meyler (6.5)), Huddlestone (7), Clucas (6.5), Robertson (5); Evandro (7), Hernandez (6), (Diomande (6)).

Unused subs:  Marshall, Tymon, Maloney, Bowen,

Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Other Premier League Results today

Southampton 3-0 Leicester

Arsenal 2-1 Burnley