There’s a reason they Costa lot, Arsene

Premier League

Twelve games against Jose Mourinho and still he can’t beat him; no wonder Arsene Wenger lost his temper and pushed the Chelsea manager in an angry touchline fracas — because in some ways this defeat at Stamford Bridge was as frustrating and as crushing as any of the ones that have gone before.

Arsenal fans will point out it was nowhere near as bad as last year’s 6-0 reverse in Wenger’s 1,000th match in charge, a result the Frenchman described as the worst of his career, and that it took an outstanding finish from Diego Costa to finally beat a team that dominated possession for most of the match. But look a little deeper and you’ll see Mourinho played all the clever cards and went home with all the bragging rights.