Costa strikes late to give Chelsea victory over West Brom

Last season, Costa was at times a shadow of the man who took the Premier League by storm during his first campaign in England, but he has been revitalised and his 12 goals to date – the most recent a priceless victor against West Brom on Sunday – have put the Blues in a strong position.

When informed of Chelsea’s prior misdemeanours, Conte added: “Yes in the past, but now we are different”.

Chelsea will expect to takeover top spot in the Premier League by defeating West Brom on Sunday.

United, for whom Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened his account in the Premier League before going off on a stretcher with a left ankle injury, are 13 points shy of the leaders but only six off the Champions League spots.

Conte has insisted in recent days that he wants his fellow countryman to remain at Chelsea despite speculation linking him with a move away ahead of the January transfer window.

“We must know the other teams try to block our football and for this reason it’s important to play with patience”. He’s good for the team, because it’s important to have many warriors during the game.

‘Diego is showing his great passion, and that he can put his passion into the team in the best way.

“We started as underdogs this season, but I suppose it’s normal if you’re playing good football and winning a lot of games”.

While this was far from Chelsea’s best effort under the Italian, their refusal to be denied by a stubborn opponent suggests they have the required character and class to last the pace in the title race.

Credit to Conte; he has given Fabregas fair chances to try and re-establish his place and I think Conte has the vision to realise that he will be needed, particularly when our FA Cup fixtures begin and squad rotation will be vital to keep the team strong.

“Sunday is the type of game we can find hard if we don’t put the same concentration, the same focus, that we had in the previous games”.

He admits he had never heard of his opposite number, Tony Pulis, before he came to England.

West Brom’s crossing caused the Chelsea defence problems in the early stages, with Rondon steering a header straight into Thibaut Courtois’ gloves, while moments later Chris Brunt sent the ball over the bar.

– In fact, Costa has either scored or assisted in 15 of his last 17 Premier League games – only failing to do so against Man Utd and Arsenal this season. The club has used a 3-4-3 formation since the loss, and it has been key in Chelsea’s current streak.

‘102 points? No. It’s impossible. “I must be honest, no”, Conte said in a press conference at Cobham Training Centre.