Chelsea manager Antonio Conte gently reminded leading scorer Diego Costa who is in charge after the striker’s show of frustration towards the end of the 3-0 win over Leicester.
Costa opened the scoring with his seventh goal in eight Premier League games this season, finishing with a measured strike after Nemanja Matic had flicked on Eden Hazard’s corner.
The Spain striker went on to play a key part in Chelsea’s victory, which was sealed by further strikes from Hazard and Victor Moses, but appeared to demand to come off late on with the game seemingly won.
However, Conte refused to replace his main front man, despite him being just one yellow card away from a ban that would have meant he missed the game against Manchester United next Sunday.
“I always take the responsibility in every situation, positive or negative,” Conte said. “Substitutions are always my decision.
“If I can I want to keep Costa on until the end. He’s an important player with great personality.
“I know it was a risk because if he got another yellow card he would miss the next game but his passion is important and he must transfer this in every minute of the game.”
Both Costa and Hazard dedicated their goals to Willian, who missed the game following the death of his mother earlier this week.
And Conte was also eager to show that the club were thinking of their Brazilian winger.
“I want to dedicate the performance and the win to Willian and his family,” Conte said. “It’s a sad moment for him but he must know that we are very close to him and his family.”
This post was last modified on 15/10/2016