Diego Costa's fifth goal in six games broke West Brom's stubborn resistance and sealed Chelsea's ninth consecutive Premier League victory yesterday
Diego Costa celebrates scoring against West Bromwich. Pic/AFP
Diego Costa celebrates scoring against West Bromwich. Pic/AFP
London: Diego Costa's fifth goal in six games broke West Brom's stubborn resistance and sealed Chelsea's ninth consecutive Premier League victory yesterday.
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The Blues won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge courtesy of Costa's piledriver, a goal that owed everything to the Spain hitman's hard running.
The relentless Costa robbed Gareth McAuley on the right flank before firing past a helpless Ben Foster in the Albion goal. Chelsea can now seriously contemplate breaking their Premier League record winning streak of 11 matches, with Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Stoke all still to come this month.
West Brom marked the in-form Victor Moses out of the match, boss Tony Pulis pulling a masterstroke by tasking wide man Matt Phillips with the specialist treatment.
But Costa's 12th goal of the Premier League campaign carried Chelsea back to the top of the table, with the Blues still yet to lose in the league since their 3-0 defeat at Arsenal on September 24.
Every Tony Pulis team is built in his image, and so it proved in a rugged first half as the visitors' stoicism rebuffed Chelsea at every turn. Costa charged down Ben Foster's clearance only for the goalkeeper to claim the rebound.
Hazard drove at the defence after a neat spin, pulling off a smart training-ground one-two with Costa, only to undercook the shot on goal.
Chris Brunt fired wastefully wide from 20 yards on West Brom's first raid, and then Salomon Rondon botched a fine opening of his own creation.
The Baggies' hitman mugged David Luiz to power into the box, opened his feet to create the space, only to drag his shot wide of the far post.
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