Chelsea 2 Hull 0: Watch highlights as Diego Costa and Gary Cahill goals see Blues open up eight-point lead over Arsenal in title race

CHELSEA moved eight points clear of Arsenal this evening as Diego Costa marked his 100^th Blues appearance with a goal against Hull.

Antonio Conte’s decision to restore Costa to his starting XI paid off when the striker pounced late in the first half to wreck Hull’s hopes of taking a point.

Marco Silva’s men had succeeded in nullifying Chelsea’s attack for most of the opening 45 minutes.

But a nasty head injury to Ryan Mason saw an incredible NINE minutes added prior to the break, and Costa ensured his side went in ahead when he latched on to a fine cross from Victor Moses moments before the whistle was blown.

The Spaniard had received a fantastic reception from the Stamford Bridge faithful at kick-off despite being linked with a lucrative move to China just last week.

And Costa appeared to imply he’s going nowhere with a cheeky celebration aimed at silencing any lurking gossipers.

However, the timely goal could not hide an unconvincing performance by Chelsea, with Hull shutting up shop and mirroring their five-man defence in a bid to frustrate Eden Hazard and Pedro.

But Gary Cahill struck in the 80^th minute to leave the result in no doubt, and boss Conte was delighted to take all three points after watching a number of title rivals including Tottenham stumble on Saturday.

Chelsea will now be looking to record a morale-boosting win over local rivals Brentford in the FA Cup next weekend before facing Liverpool and Arsenal in back-to-back league games which could prove pivotal in the race for first.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

• Diego Costa went from sour to sweet as he marked his return to the Chelsea team following his…er, let’s say Chinese back massage by firing them 1-0 up in first-half stoppage time.
• The striker had taken just 10 seconds to signal his intent with a volley that bounced just wide of the target.
• The game was halted for nine minutes as Hull’s Ryan Mason received treatment following a sickening clash of heads with Gary Cahill in the 12th minute. While Mason left the field on a stretcher, Cahill remarkably played on seemingly unaffected.
• Mason was taken to hospital by ambulance and the latest estimate is two weeks.

• The lull in play gave Chelsea fans their first chance of the game to pay homage to Costa with a chant of “Diego, Diego…”
• The Brazilian-born Spain star thought he had given the hosts when he fired a shot into the net four minutes before the break. But the effort was ruled out for offside, wrongly as it turned out.
• When he did score he celebrated with hand gestures that suggested all the talk of him leaving was merely chit-chat. Hmmm. We’ll have to see whether he is still at Chelsea next season before we can judge whether it was justified or not.
• Hull’s biggest goal threat was provided by an unlikely source as defender Harry Maguire went close to scoring THREE TIMES in the first half.
• His defensive partner Curtis Davies, having already been booked for hauling back N’Golo Kante, was lucky to stay on the pitch when he fouled Pedro just before the break.

THE BIG PICTURE

Chelsea next five fixtures:

Brentford (H): 28 Jan – FA

Liverpool (A): 31 Jan – Prem

Arsenal (H): 4 Feb – Prem

Burnley (A): 12 Feb – Prem

Swansea (H): 25 Feb – Prem

Hull next five fixtures:

Man Utd (H): 26 Jan – EFL

Fulham (A): 29 Jan – FA

Man Utd (A): 1 Feb – Prem

Liverpool (H): 4 Feb – Prem

Arsenal (A): 11 Feb – Prem

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

Chelsea: Courtois 7, Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 6, Cahill 7, Moses 8, Kante 7, Matic 6, Alonso 7, Pedro 6 (Willian 6), Hazard 6 (Fabregas 7), Costa 7 (Batshuayi 6)

Subs not used: Begovic, Zouma, Ake, Chalobah

Goal: Costa 45’+7, Cahill 81’

Booked: Kante

Hull: Jakupovic 6, Maguire 9, Dawson 6, Davies 6 (Niasse 6), Elabdellaoui 5, Huddlestone 6, Mason 6 (Meyler 6), Robertson 6, Goebel 6, Clucas 6, Hernandez 5 (Diomande 5)

Subs not used: Maloney, Marshall, Tymon, Bowen

Booked: Dawson, Davies, Robertson

STAR MAN: Harry Maguire

SOCIAL SAYS:

WHAT THEY SAID:

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill: “It was a good weekend before we kicked a ball today. We knew how important a game it was. These opportunities don’t come around too often so you have to capitalise.

“[Diego Costa] is delighted to come back. There has been a lot of talk. It gets a bit tiring and the best way to respond is to get a goal.

“I see a healthy gap for us [in the table]. We are determined to keep the gap going into two massive games [against Liverpool and Arsenal].”