West Ham vs Chelsea: Diego Costa admits he's 'no angel' but refuses to change his ways despite latest ban

Costa has been banned for three matches twice this year but insists his style is somehting the Premier League must get used to

Jack de Menezes

Friday 23 October 2015 07:43 BST

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has vowed not to change his combative style (Getty Images)

Diego Costa has admitted that is “no angel” on the pitch, but the Chelsea striker has vowed not to change his ways even if his combative and provocative style gets him into trouble.

The 27-year-old Spain international has already served two three-game bans this year having been found guilty of stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can and hitting Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in the face.

Costa has scored just twice in the Premier League this season that coincided with the champions’ woeful start to defending their title, but the hot-headed forward believes his style has carried him this far and there is no reason why he needs to change it now.

"I've got this far thanks to the way I play the game," Brazil-born Costa said in an interview on the BBC’s Football Focus."I'm not going to change that because of what people may think of it."

Both Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger have criticised Costa’s aggressive nature on the pitch, but he football has always had that side to it and feels that fans of the Premier League simply have to get used to it.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

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1/12Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Asmir Begovic - 8 out of 10

Made a pair of saves that you would expect him to make and looked comfortable and assured in the absence of No 1 Thibaut Courtois, claiming crosses well and never looking ruffled. Chelsea will be glad they have such a capable No 2.

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Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Kurt Zouma - 7 out of 10

Defensively he was extremely solid but in attack you could tell he was playing out of position - the Frenchman was not always keen to get up and join attacks and on the few occasions he did he looked a bit like a fish out of water, slowing the pace and looking for the safe pass.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

John Terry - 7 out of 10

Much like Cahill, the Chelsea captain was comfortable and didn't need to be anything but solid. He made one bad error late on to gift the ball back to Dynamo, but Cahill and Begovic come to the rescue.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Gary Cahill - 8 out of 10

Very good all evening. Did well covering on a couple of occasions when Artem Kravets was given a long ball to chase and when the pressure was on late in the game he stood tall. Much more like it from the England man.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Cesar Azpilicueta - 9 out of 10

Truly fantastic performance from the Spaniard who kept Dynamo's most dangerous player, Andriy Yarmolenko, from having barely any impact in the attacking third. Azpilicueta was alert all evening and ready to nip in and get tight to the winger, disrupting him from ever settling on the ball. It'll be hard to find a better performance from a full back.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Nemanja Matic - 8 out of 10

Easily his best performances of the season, Matic was the force that pushed Chelsea forward and stopped Kiev from playing. Very unlucky not to score in the first-half where he powered forward but couldn't find the inside of the post on his weak right foot. Good on the ball and mostly stopped Dynamo's midfield threat.

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Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Ramires - 6 out of 10

You can never criticise his energy or work rate and he was a key part of Chelsea's ability to press Dynamo and win the ball back in midfield; out of possession he was one of Chelsea's best players. But it's when he's on the ball that Ramires struggles, with the Brazilian's passing constantly poor.

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Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Eden Hazard - 8 out of 10

Like Matic, had his best 90 minutes of the season, providing a perfect response to being dropped at the weekend. He was lively throughout and whenever on the ball he drove forward with real attacking intent. Unlucky to hit the post with an excellent curling effort.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Cesc Fabregas - 7 out of 10

Should have had a penalty after a brilliant burst into the box, the Spaniard provided that touch of class in midfield when he was on the ball. He's better in a deeper position but Mourinho couldn't risk him there.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Willian - 7 out of 10

So unlucky not to score when a superb free-kick flew back off the crossbar. He worked hard and helped Chelsea look dynamic on the counter, although he didn't do as much in the final third as the Blues would have liked.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

Diego Costa - 5 out of 10

The only disappointment of the night was the performance of Costa, who was brilliantly marshalled by the physical Dragovic and Khacheridi, who didn't let him have even half a chance. Still battled well and held up the ball.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev ratings

From the bench: Oscar - 4 out of 10

On for the final 15 minutes the Brazilian struggled to get into the game and Dynamo had a dangerous five minutes as he adjusted to the pace of it. Pressed well but a couple of really poor touches gifted the Ukrainians the ball.

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"I think that football has always had a passionate, aggressive side, with players giving their all," said Costa. "People have to get used to this.

Diego Costa was banned for three matches for clashing with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny — Diego Costa was banned for three matches for clashing with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny (Getty Images)

"Some people seem to think football is like theatre, and that everyone has to play the good guy.

"But I think that you transform when you cross the white line, you're not the same person as off it. I give no quarter and I ask for none. Out there I'm going to fight for my team and do the best I can.

"Afterwards, when the match is over, I have my family and my friends. I have fun like a normal person. But on the pitch don't try and put wings on me, as I am no angel."

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