Awesome Costa torments Swans

Chelsea 4 Swansea 2

The Brazilian-born Spain international took his tally to seven for the season, justifying his selection as the Premier League’s Player of the Month and showing why Jose Mourinho was prepared to wait almost a year before signing him from Atletico Madrid for €35m. But for the second game in succession Costa showed a darker side to his game, clubbing Swansea’s Gylffi Sigurdsson to the ground with a swipe of his fist, an offence that referee Kevin Friend failed to spot but was highlighted on television, and could yet be the subject of disciplinary action.

It followed Costa’s less-than-sportsmanlike taunting of Seamus Coleman after he scored in Chelsea’s 6-3 victory at Everton a fortnight ago, to suggest the striker is not likely to win any popularity contests outside Stamford Bridge. But Chelsea fans could not care less. These are a bunch who hero-worship John Terry, and will forgive Costa anything if his goals can return the Premier League title to the club, as he is threatening to do already.

Mourinho compared Costa to Didier Drogba in terms of the impact he could have on the club’s fortunes, and also drew comparisons with Terry in terms of his temperament and willingness to play when not fully fit.

Costa was doubtful with injury before this game, as he had been in his previous two for club and country, yet insisted on playing.

“The most important thing of a player’s character is what affects his performance. He was a risk and a doubt before Everton, a risk and a doubt before Spain, and a risk and a doubt before this game, yet he played all three games.

“Nobody can stop him. I have tried, to be sure, but on he goes. He is a fantastic character. He is a leader of himself. He knows exactly what the team needs and is ready to give to the team.”

And how his team needed Costa, after they dug themselves into a hole. With both sides boasting 100% records before kick-off, something had to give, and for the first half-hour it looked it would be Chelsea’s aura of invincibility. Swansea swept them aside in that opening period, the fluid movement and passing of Garry Monk’s side meaning Chelsea simply could not get the ball. John Terry turned a cross into his own net to put Swansea ahead, but they failed to convert the many chances they created in this purple patch, a fact lamented by winger Nathan Dyer.

“We had the momentum when we went 1-0 up, but we didn’t make the most of our chances when we got in front of goal and that was key to it. If we could have kept up the momentum of 1-0 lead into the second half, who knows? But they clawed their way back into it, and there was always the danger that a team of this quality would punish us.”

Indeed, once Costa headed an equaliser on the stroke of half-time, there was only likely to be one outcome, especially after Mourinho changed tack and his tactics.

Mourinho was blunt: “In the first half we didn’t play well so we had to resolve the problems and react to a team that was better than us. I felt I needed to change certain principles in our game that were not correct and I was waiting for half-time to try to help the team improve.”

Costa duly made it 3-1 by the 67th minute, with his replacement Loic Remy adding a fourth on his debut before Jonjo Shelvey scored a second for Swansea in the dying minutes. Victory means Chelsea are now clear leaders, with four wins out of four and the visit of Schalke in the Champions League this week followed by a trip to Manchester City, whom most pundits believe will be their main rivals for the title.

Mourinho knows the arrival of Costa and Cesc Fabregas has made his side far stronger than last season, but Chelsea can still be a side of contrasts. “The team improved in one season considering the limitations we had,” he said with a parting shot at the hapless Fernando Torres, who took 43 games rather than four to reach seven league goals.

“We knew clearly the direction we wanted to go and we got a couple of players in this summer. We made the squad stronger but it is only four matches into the season — not 14, 24 or 34.”

CHELSEA: Courtois 6; Ivanovic 6 Cahill 7 Terry 6 Azpilicueta 6; Matic 6 Fabregas 8; Schurrle 5 Oscar 6 Hazard 7, Costa 9.

Subs: Ramires for Schurrle 46, Salah for Fabregas 82, Remy for Costa 82.

SWANSEA Fabianski 6; Rangel 6 Williams 6 Amat 7 Taylor 6; Dyer 7 Ki Sung Yeung 8 Shelvey 6 Sigurdsson 7 Routledge 7; Gomis 6.

Subs: Fernandez for Amat 46, Montero for Routledge 66, Bony for Gomis 76.

Referee: K Friend.