Diego Costa is struggling to stay out of trouble.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa could be in trouble again, after appearing to strike West Ham defender Aaron Cresswell in the face during the clash between the two sides, reports the Daily Mail.
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The 26-year-old threw his arm into the face of the Hammers full-back, but the incident seemed to escape the attention of referee Lee Mason.
Costa will be hoping that the official, or one of his assistants, saw at least some of the incident, so he avoids another retrospective ban, having only recently returned to the Blues line-up, following an apparent stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can during the Capital One Cup semi-final.
If the Spanish international is to be banned, then it is unlikely to appease West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, who this week bemoaned the retrospective charge of Crystal Palace’s captain Mile Jedinak, explaining that the subsequent decision – following an attempted elbow on striker Diafra Sakho – was too late to make any difference to his side, and it appears that history may repeat itself for a second week in a row.
Eden Hazard scored the only goal of the game midway through the first-half at Upton Park, helping Chelsea maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.