According to Chelsea’s vice-captain Branislav Ivanovic, fellow team-mate Diego Costa had the last laugh against Arsenal in the 0-1 victory on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium, and mentally dominated his challengers.
Spanish international Costa found himself in the centre of the two pivotal moments of the clash yesterday. It was him that Per Mertesacker challenged to receive a red card, and it was also the former Atletico Madrid servant that scored the decisive goal.
Chelsea were holding on in the dying moments of the game to keep their victory, and they did it well. It’s clear that the victory helps Chelsea’s continuous momentum as they remain unbeaten since the sacking of Jose Mourinho, but it also put a dent in Arsenal’s bid to be crowned Premier League champions, as it was three points dropped on their opposition.
Speaking to talkSPORT after the game, Ivanovic admits that Costa is proactive when playing, but did everything by the rules of the game on Sunday.
Diego Costa was dominant mentally against the Arsenal defenders because every time he made a difference they started provoking him and, when they started kicking him, he was calm, which is good.
He always wanted to provoke them. It’s part of Diego’s game, he is always playing this way and if you take that away from Diego he is not the same player.
He’s very smart on the pitch and always knows where the limit is. He provokes but he always stays calm and for us he’s very important.
