Diego Costa 'stamp' incident: Claim Chelsea striker assaulted steward branded 'utter nonsense'

A complaint was made after Chelsea's defeat to Stoke before being resolved

Sunday 08 November 2015 13:57 GMT

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Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

Claims that Chelsea striker Diego Costa 'assaulted' a steward during Saturday's Premier League match with Stoke have been branded "utter nonsense".

The Brazilian-born Spain international went to retrieve the ball from off the pitch during Chelsea's 1-0 defeat and as he did so appeared to make contact with the foot of a steward (see video below).

Immediately after the match, a member of the security team at the Britannia Stadium reported Costa to referee Anthony Taylor.

However, it's understood the issue was then dealt with amicably and the complaint withdrawn.

Asked to comment on the incident, a Chelsea spokesperson branded the episode as "utter nonsense".

Taylor will mention the incident in his match report, however no action is expected to be taken against Costa, whose temperament has been the subject of regular discussion this season.

Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

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1/11Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Asmir Begovic - 6 out of 10

Made a superb save to deny Johnson early on, but will feel he could have done more to keep Arnautovic’s superb volley out after getting a hand to the shot.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Cesar Azpilicueta - 4 out of 10

After a relatively comfortable first half, the defender – playing once again at right-back – failed to mark Arnautovic closely enough before he scored.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Kurt Zouma - 5 out of 10

Had the perfect chance to open the scoring for the visitors but went too early and was flagged as offside. However, after having a near-perfect first half in terms of his defensive work, he panicked while trying to clear Johnson’s cross out of Walters’ way, and it eventually fell to goalscorer Arnautovic.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

John Terry - 4 out of 10

Should have communicated better with Baba Rahman in the build-up to the opener after running out of position to try and track the run of Johnson – but ultimately failed to do so after he allowed the Stoke defender to get his cross in.

Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Baba Rahman - 4 out of 10

Lost the battle on the left flank with Shaqiri several times – getting a yellow card for a foul on the Stoke winger in the process – before failing to do enough to stop Johnson from getting his cross into the box in the build-up to the opener.

Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Nemanja Matic - 5 out of 10

Kept Bojan quiet in the first half, winning tackles and distributing the ball well although he did deliver one disappointing pass to no one as Chelsea looked to attack one final time in the first half. However, he struggled to keep a hold of Stoke’s attacking players in the second period.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Ramires - 5 out of 10

Had two great chances to hand Chelsea the opener in the first half but poked his first wide before being denied by Butland with his second.

Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Eden Hazard - 6 out of 10

His pace caused Johnson several problems and the Belgian was important in driving Chelsea’s attacking plays forwards as well as setting up his teammates for chances although they couldn’t convert them.

Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Pedro - 6 out of 10

Linked up well with Willian and Hazard and ran riot across the width of pitch in the first half before being unlucky to hit the post as Chelsea trailed 1-0. Came off with 20 minutes to go but enjoyed a positive match on his return from injury.

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Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Willian - 6 out of 10

Was one of Chelsea’s better players at the Britannia Stadium – as he has been for the Blues all season – but saw his creative powers restricted when compared to against Dynamo Kiev after being played in the middle instead of the flank.

Chelsea player ratings vs Stoke City

Diego Costa - 5 out of 10

Should have scored when he failed to stretch out in time to meet Hazard’s cross, while looking slightly unsure in front of goal during some of his other chances.

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Marko Arnautovic's acrobatic 53rd-minute finish was the difference between Chelsea and Stoke as the reigning champions slumped to their seventh defeat in 12 games. Manager Jose Mourinho was not in attendance as he was serving a one-match stadium ban.

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