Diego Costa Continues to Show Why He's the Premier League's No. 1 Striker

 

Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane will have something to say about it, but Sunday's 2-2 draw between Swansea City and Chelsea at the Liberty Stadium showed us exactly why Diego Costa is the Premier League's best striker.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku and Jamie Vardy will be among the other hit men no doubt debating the issue on who is top dog. In these parts, though, they're all second to Costa.
Not only did the Blues frontman score twice to secure his team a point, but he was everywhere and bossed the Swansea back line. His performance was a throwback to how the great English forwards of the past carved out their reputations. There was an air of Alan Shearer about the Spain international, even a little Peter Osgood thrown in for good measure to get Chelsea fans salivating.
Costa was the right sort of aggressive on Sunday, and when the time came, he was in the right place at the right time to score his goals. They weren't just tap-ins, either; Costa had plenty to do in both instances before he could score. And on each occasion, he delivered.


 

"I'm pleased for him as after every game [the media] continually ask me about his passion and whether his passion is too much and his behaviour," Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said after the game, per BBC Sport. "Today, I can tell, Diego, after the first minute until the end of the game, took a lot of kicks. I think the referee must permit him to play football."
Indeed, Costa's battle with Jordi Amat was one of the highlights of the afternoon. The Spanish defender didn't let the Blues forward out of his sight and could count himself lucky he didn't get sent off for his persistent fouling.
That the Chelsea striker kept his cool wasn't the story, though. That may have disappointed some who were busy sharpening their blades at the thought of what Costa might do based on his reputation, but we got something a whole lot different.

 

Amat's kicks and shirt tugs weren't just him trying to rile Costa; they were a sign of his frustration at facing him. The Swansea defender couldn't get near him within the laws of the game, so he had to undertake the darker arts in order to let his presence be known.
Scoring twice for Chelsea and enjoying a fine afternoon, it was clear Costa won that battle. What would have disappointed Conte and his players, however, is that Chelsea didn't come away with the victory.
Fingers will be pointed at some disappointing refereeing decisions, although Chelsea need to take a long look at themselves. From the dominance they could boast in this game, it should have been curtains for Swansea before they were able to get back level through Gylfi Sigurdsson's penalty.
The problem was that Costa couldn't do it all himself at the Liberty Stadium. He made a good fist of it, running the line expertly, but Chelsea let themselves down with some avoidable mistakes.

When Chelsea broke out of defence, Costa was forever holding up play and bringing others into the game. He wasn't doing it just by physical means, either. With the ball at his feet and isolated, Costa was seemingly running into cul-de-sacs as Swansea defenders swarmed all over him, yet he somehow came out with a free-kick or recycled possession.
He was excellent. It was the sort of performance that reminded us of why he is such an asset to Chelsea, which didn't go unnoticed by Niall Quinn in the Sky Sports studio. Asked by the presenter why the rest of the Premier League doesn't like Costa, Quinn's response was that it's because opposition fans and managers don't like seeing their defenders bullied. That's exactly what Costa did to Swansea.
Aguero and Kane scored plenty of goals last season in their pursuit of the golden boot. Vardy wasn't too far behind, and Lukaku outperformed any Everton player. Watching Ibrahimovic at Manchester United this year, we're being reminded of what a talent he is.
When we look at the whole package, though, it's Costa who has it all. He can run at defenders to isolate them—an area where he's strangely underrated—while he's a presence in the air and makes no qualms about putting his body on the line to get the better of opponents. He's intelligent off the ball with his movement and works the line tirelessly. Oh, and he scores goals too.

Costa's brace against Swansea brings him up to four for the season—six if we're including his double for Spain during the recent international break. He's in the type of form that delivered Chelsea the title in 2014/15, and the rest of the Premier League will be on red alert after witnessing his hunger return.
He seems to be playing angrily but with a cool head. Costa's out to prove a point after his struggles last season, and Chelsea are benefiting from it.
The club spent over £100 million in the transfer market as Conte strengthened his squad, but it was keeping Costa in west London this summer that is the biggest and best deal Chelsea could have done. That includes the capture of N'Golo Kante, who was himself excellent against Swansea.
Costa seems to give this Chelsea team a purpose in the final third. He has that ruthless streak Eden Hazard is still looking for, the sort of clinical sense in front of goal that makes a good player a great one.


Without him leading the line, Chelsea aren't the same team. They lack the edge Costa brings, and with a manager such as Conte on the sidelines, he almost mirrors him. He's passionate and driven by a will to win football matches. When it all comes together, it's a beautiful combination.
Right now, Costa is doing it, and there isn't a better striker in the Premier League.