Chelsea's rehabilitation under Antonio Conte stuttered at the Liberty Stadium today and it was Diego Costa's influence, equally magnificent and infuriating, which was the game's biggest influence.
Three wins from their first three matches had gone a long way to suggesting that Antonio Conte had steadied the ship after the ignominy of last season's calamitous title defence and it seemed like it was going according to plan for an hour away to Swansea but Chelsea haven't really enjoyed their visits to South Wales recently - and for a spell in the second half, it appeared as if their dominance for the first two thirds of the match was going to count for nothing.
Diego Costa has been reinvigourated in Conte's Chelsea, yet is still just as much an infuriating presence for defenders and opposition fans alike. Chelsea dominated proceedings in the first half and it was Costa (who else) who opened the scoring after neat work down the right hand side by Branislav Ivanovic and Oscar.
No in-between with Diego Costa. He's either brilliant or bonkers.
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) September 11, 2016
Chelsea looked like adding to their lead on several occasions in the first frame with Hazard, Oscar and Azpilicueta all going close. As ever, Costa was proving a nuisance and it was apparently Leroy Fer who was tasked with keeping him under wraps - a running tussle which saw them both booked for fouls on each other in the first half.
But on the hour it all looked like it was going to fall apart for Chelsea. Great work from Fer led to a penalty for Swansea which was dispatched by Sigurdsson and just two minutes later Fer - a continual thorn in Chelsea's side throughout - ran through the back of Gary Cahill (somewhat dubiously if we're being honest) and finished the simple chace that presented itself.
Chelsea went from dominating to chasing the game in a matter of seconds.
As the minutes ticked over, both sides had chances but it was that man again Diego Costa who scored his fourth in four games so far this season with a spectacular (if moderately dangerous) scissor kick from a deflected Ivanovic shot - the third time this season that Costa has scored in the dying minutes of games.
People arguing for that Diego Costa goal to be disallowed can hand in their joy passes at reception on the way out.
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) September 11, 2016
As is so often the case with the Brazilian-born Spaniard, he will dominate the back pages tomorrow after his two goals and another yellow card (his third this season) capped an all-action display.
There's little denying that Diego Costa can be infuriating to watch but when he's on form, as he seems to be this season, there aren't many more effective frontmen in the Premier League.
