By Toby Prince
Chelsea’s Diego Costa has been branded a “cheat” by his own team-mate, Kurt Zouma, after his antics against Arsenal on Saturday.
Costa was involved in a heated exchange with Gabriel Paulista, which ended with the defender being sent off and the Gunners eventually losing the game 2-0.
He also had on-field run-ins with Laurent Koscielny and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but avoided any punishment himself.
While speaking to beIN Sport, Zouma who scored Chelsea’s first goal against Arsenal, revealed he was not surprised by his team-mate’s actions saying they are all aware of his tricks.
“Of course Arsenal will feel hard done-by, they will claim you should have had a player sent-off in Diego Costa but this is a player that’s famed for riling other players isn’t it?
When asked if he was shocked about Costa’s actions, he replied:
“No, we’re not surprised because we know Diego. Everyone knows Diego and this guy likes to cheat a lot and put the opponent out of his game.
The young Frenchman however claims the Spain international is a perfect gentleman off the pitch and he’s also a favourite figure in the Stamford Bridge locker room.
“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,” Zouma said.
