Costa guides Chelsea to big win against Everton

The Brazil-born Spain striker cost Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho £32 million ($53.1 million, 40.4 million euros) when he joined from Atletico Madrid in the close season and he provided a further illustration of his worth at Goodison Park. 

The 25-year-old started and finished the scoring on an extraordinary evening on Merseyside, taking his tally to four goals in three games since his arrival at the club. 

Everton’s own big-money striker Romelu Lukaku, a £28 million acquisition from Chelsea, lined up against his old club, with another Chelsea old boy, Samuel Eto’o, starting the game on the bench. Mourinho included Costa in his starting XI after he passed a late fitness test, having not trained in the latter half of the week due to a hamstring complaint. 

And the striker showed no ill-effects to give Chelsea the lead after 36 seconds when he latched onto a through-ball from Cesc Fabregas. Costa let fly with a low angled shot that Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard got a foot to but was unable to prevent going into the net. 

Chelsea added a second goal in the third minute when Everton’s appeals for offside were ignored by the officials. Neat interplay between Costa and Brazil midfielder Ramires allowed the latter to slip the ball into Branislav Ivanovic, who had ghosted in behind the Everton defence and clinically dispatched a low shot past Howard.