Diego Costa crossed the line against Arsenal, say Sunday Supplement panel
Sunday 20 September 2015 12:19, UK
Diego Costa "crossed a line" with his "unsavoury" behaviour in Chelsea's win over Arsenal on Saturday, Matt Law told Sunday Supplement.
Gabriel and Santi Cazorla were both sent off as Arsenal were beaten 2-0 in a heated contest at Stamford Bridge.
Television replays showed Costa pushing Laurent Koscielny in the face during tussles in the Arsenal penalty area in the first half and he was then involved in a series of altercations with Gabriel.
And the Daily Telegraph's Matt Law admits that while the Chelsea striker is not a traditionally dirty player, he is all about winding up the opponent.
He said on Sunday Supplement: "I think he's the biggest wind-up merchant in Britain, but I don't think he's the dirtiest player.
"He's not about going around sliding through people and committing traditional fouls, he's all about winding up, pushing, shoving, asking for yellow cards. All the dark arts we saw. This is why I think he's a real wind-up merchant.
"You could just see from the moment he started arguing with Gabriel after the Koscielny incident, you could see what he was trying to do. To watch it unfold in front of your eyes was remarkable, and to see Gabriel fall for it.
"But it was unsavoury, and I do think he crossed a line yesterday. I've got no problem with him barging into players and using his physique. But he crossed a line.
"[Jose] Mourinho is saying he didn't actually commit any traditional fouls in the game, but he's ignoring everything else he did, which was pretty low."
Goals from Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard sealed a much-needed win for Chelsea, consigning Arsenal to their second defeat of the week following Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
The tone was set early on by Costa, but the Sunday Express' John Richardson insists that a lot of Premier League managers would love the 26-year-old in their dressing room.
Richardson said: "He's like a man who wants to go to war all the time. He's that sort of player. But a lot of clubs will want him in their side and a lot of managers will want him in their dressing room. He was there to rub people up the wrong way, and it worked.
"But when he looks at himself in the mirror what does he feel? Is he proud of himself? I suppose he is because Chelsea won yesterday.
"But it's not good to see. He's sneaky as well. He does wind players up. But a lot of clubs would want him in their dressing room."
