Chelsea vs. Hull City: Score and Reaction from 2017 Premier League Match
Diego Costa made a scoring return to the Chelsea team on Sunday, as the Blues beat a spirited Hull City team 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
A serious injury to Ryan Mason meant nine minutes of stoppage time were played at the end of the first period, and in the seventh of those, Costa netted from Victor Moses' drilled cross to give Antonio Conte's men the lead.
The visitors were the stronger side for long spells after the break, but Gary Cahill's header nine minutes from time made the match safe for the hosts.
The big news one hour before kick-off when the XIs were confirmed was that Costa was back for Chelsea; he was left out of the squad for the trip to Leicester City last weekend amid reports of a row with his manager.
After a determined start to the game from both sides, a nasty clash of heads between Mason and Cahill sapped the tempo, with the former receiving treatment for several minutes before he was taken off. When the game restarted, Hull soaked up a lot of pressure but still limited the league leaders.
As FourFourTwo's Seb Stafford-Bloor noted, it was a combative effort from the visitors under the tutelage of their new manager Marco Silva:
"Tip of the hat to Hull for this, because they've taken some heavy, heavy shelling in this half. Digging in, though, and playing quite nicely
— Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) January 22, 2017"
Still, as the minutes ticked by, weariness was always going to set in, and as Hull retreated deeper, Chelsea started to look more dangerous. After some patient buildup in added time, Costa reacted sharpest in the area to put the Blues in front.
It was the 15th league goal of the season for the forward, whose celebration suggested there had been too much talking done about him as of late. Per OptaJoe, Chelsea left it late to take the lead:
"51:35 - At 51 minutes and 35 seconds, Diego Costa's is the latest 1st half goal since Opta started recording exact times (2006-07). Gasp.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 22, 2017"
In the early stages of the second period, Hull were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when Marcos Alonso appeared to bring down Abel Hernandez in the area. The visitors did not take referee Neil Swarbrick's decision to wave away the appeals well.
For long spells in the second period, Silva's side looked the more likely to net. They continued to press forward and Thibaut Cortois was called into action twice, parrying away powerful efforts from David Meyler and Michael Dawson.
Per ESPN FC's Liam Twomey, some nerves were building at the Bridge, with the Tigers looking dangerous:
Conte reacted by bringing Cesc Fabregas and Willian off the bench, with the Blues searching for some control. Eventually, the two men played a vital role in the second goal.
Willian led a smart breakaway and won a free-kick wide on the left flank. Fabregas then curled a superb cross into the box, and an unmarked Cahill thumped his header home to put the result beyond any doubt.
Costa should have got his second when Fabregas played him through on goal minutes later, but Eldin Jakupovic blocked the effort. The striker then exited to a rapturous reception from the home crowd, capping off a fine day for the Premier League leaders.
Given Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Liverpool all dropped points this weekend, the Blues will be doubly delighted with this result. After Tottenham stopped their 13-game winning run earlier this month, Conte must have demanded a reaction from his players, and the buffer they have built will be difficult to bridge.
Costa showed why he’s so important to this team too. With Hull settling in in the first period, his predatory instincts were crucial to Chelsea taking the lead, and he was eventually decisive in his side taking another big step toward Premier League glory.
Post-Match Reaction
Conte insisted it was important Costa got on the scoresheet given the focus that had been on him in the buildup to the game, per Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport).
“It is normal to receive a lot of questions [about Costa],” the Italian admitted. “The most important thing for us is the answer on the pitch, for the player, for me, for club, for fans and for the league table. Honestly I was very happy to see his celebration because I was celebrating the goal on the bench. The most important thing was he scored.”
Silva was happy with the way his side performed, per the Premier League Twitter feed:
Tigers centre-back Harry Maguire bemoaned some big decisions not going the way of the visitors. “They are a top side,” he said, per BBC Sport. “When you don’t take your chances or get the big decisions they punish you and they have done today. …The lino has given throw in but he [Alonso] didn’t touch ball from my angle.”
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