Kurt Zouma Labels Diego Costa a 'Cheat' After Chelsea vs. Arsenal Clash

Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has admitted that his team-mate Diego Costa is a “cheat” in the wake of the Blues’ 2-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday.

The young defender, who scored the opening goal in the game, was speaking to beIN Sports’ Carrie Brown after the game and didn’t pull any punches when discussing the controversial striker, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

“Everyone knows Diego and this guy likes to cheat a lot and put the opponent out of his game,” said Zouma. “That happened in the game but he's a really nice guy. We're proud to have him, like the other players, and we're happy to win this game today.”

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Here's Zouma's interview in full, per Joe Krishnan of the London Evening Standard:

Zouma later tried to clarify his comments on Twitter, saying: "Sorry for any confusion, English is not my first language & I did not mean to accuse anyone of cheating." He added, "Simply to say, Diego is a player who puts pressure on his opponents & who I have huge respect for."

Costa was involved in various flashpoints during the match. The forward appeared to swing an arm in the direction of Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny before scratching Gabriel Paulista on the back of the neck. The latter later lashed out at the Chelsea man and was subsequently sent off by Mike Dean.

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The referee has been criticised heavily by a lot of Arsenal supporters, but former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher thinks Dean handled the situation well overall, per audioBoom.com:

Football writer Henry Winter was disappointed by the conduct of Costa during the game, insisting he will be under greater focus going forward:

But there are plenty, like Zouma it would seem, who are less offended by the striker. Of course, he crosses the line on occasions, but the 26-year-old made a decisive contribution in a match that was precariously poised. Arsenal’s defenders should have known what to expect from the gnarly Spanish international, but lashed out anyway.

As noted by former Chelsea player Jason Cundy, although Costa isn’t the most popular figure with opposition supporters, the majority would probably love to have him in their team:

Indeed, it’s clear that winning, regardless of how, is the order of the day for the Blues. It’s probably why Jose Mourinho has been such a successful, if not popular, manager down the years. Like him or loathe him, Costa winding up Paulista and getting him sent off swung the game in Chelsea’s favour.

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By contrast, Arsenal’s players, although provoked, showcased a lack of composure in the heat of the moment. As noted by Bleacher Report’s Garry Hayes, it’s not as if Costa doesn’t get his own share of rough treatment from defenders either:

There are plenty of players who try to push the rules of football to the edge, and Costa is one of them. Granted, there is a line, and there’s a chance he will be punished for some of his conduct against the Gunners. But Chelsea picked up three points and the momentum from the win, leaving Arsenal to reflect on another loss to a big rival.

Calling Costa a cheat seems a little out of context with what was otherwise effusive praise from Zouma for his team-mate, so perhaps he’ll regret using a word that strong. But there aren’t many players in the game who are impeccable when it comes to their disciplinary records, and Costa just happens to play with a more abrasive manner than most.