Diego Costa has been Chelsea's most consistently excellent player all season, even before the tactical change that has now resulted in eight straight wins, and on Saturday he once gain played a most crucial role as Chelsea notched a tremendous 3-1 win at the home of title-rivals Manchester City.
Understandably, most of his touches came in the second half, when Chelsea turned the game on its head. The difference between the two teams was eventually turned out to be finishing quality — Chelsea scored three, plus an own goal, while City scored none — and Costa's finish was unerring. Great ball for Willian's goal as well.
And perhaps even more amazingly, Costa's now gone eight games being just one yellow card away from a one-match ban. The man who supposedly couldn't play without constant provocation and off-the-ball shenanigans is now doing just that.
"Diego is showing he is using his passion in the right way and I'm very happy about that."
-Antonio Conte; source: Sky
With 11 goals (joint best in the league with Alexis Sanchez), 5 assists (joint third most in the league), and almost no injuries, Costa has been indispensable.