Antonio Conte revealed that he was “pleased” with Diego Costa‘s overall display on Sunday afternoon, as Chelsea beat Hull City 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Following a turbulent few days at the club, in which he reportedly fell out with Conte over his fitness and a rumoured offer from China, Costa came back into Chelsea’s starting XI this weekend, looking to continue his excellent form in front of goal.
Although Hull put in a stubborn defensive performance, frustrating the hosts at times, Conte’s men eventually broke the deadlock in first half stoppage- time through Costa. The 28-year-old cooly finished from a low Victor Moses cross, sparking a celebration in response to the recent speculation regarding his future.
Gary Cahill wrapped the game up in the final 10 minutes to leave the Blues in a fantastic position in the Premier League title-race, but Conte reserved special praise for his Spanish striker, hailing his overall performance at full-time.
“His performance was good and I am pleased for this,” the Italian boss told Sky Sports post-match. “In the press conference before the game a lot of people asked me about his form, his attitude, and I said took the best decision for the team and I think I made the best decision after this performance.
“It is normal to receive a lot of questions [about Costa]. The most important thing for us is the answer on the pitch, for the player, for me, for club, for fans and for the league table. Honestly I was very happy to see his celebration.”
Costa has scored 15 goals and created 28 chances in 20 Premier League appearances this season, with a shot accuracy of 63%, as Chelsea sit top on 55 points, eight clear of Arsenal in second.
Next up for them is a home clash with Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, before taking on Liverpool at Anfield.
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