In the scandalous match between "Chelsea" and "Arsenal," the center of attention was the "blues" striker Diego Costa.
At the end of the first half, the striker first hit Laurent Koscielny in the face with his palm, then obstructed him with elbows, and finally brought him down to the ground with his chest.
However, it was not D. Costa who was eventually sent off, but "Arsenal" defender Gabriel, who, during the altercation, kicked his opponent's leg, while the Spanish national team striker received a yellow card.
Adding to this, in the second half D. Costa unsportingly played against Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and referee M. Dean turned a blind eye to this incident.
But as unbelievable as it may sound, D. Costa has not received a red card in official matches since 2012, even though he is constantly involved in similar incidents.
The shameful actions of the striker received almost unanimous condemnation.
"Look at the situation when Costa was grappling with Koscielny. He deliberately hit him in the face, then initiated the altercation. He acts very aggressively in every match, but escapes punishment due to the referees' weakness. I can't understand this situation. He should have been sent off twice," complained "Arsenal" manager Arsene Wenger.
In an interview with BBC, A. Wenger added that the opponent's behavior was "shameful and childish."
Meanwhile, "BT Sports" expert Rio Ferdinand called D. Costa a "petulant child."
"Costa behaves like a petulant child. If something happens, from his behavior you could get the impression that it's the end of the world," said R. Ferdinand.
He was seconded by fellow Ian Wright, who said that after such actions, D. Costa's football fans will not like him.
"Sky Sports" show "Soccer Saturday" participants could not believe that the Spaniard remained on the field, and Alan McInally, who commented on the match, said he wanted to "pluck D. Costa's ears."
"Eurosport" called the incident regrettable, and D. Costa - a "shame of football," while former referee Graham Poll urged the English Football Association to take action and disqualify the "Chelsea" player.
It seems that the only people who positively evaluated D. Costa's actions in the match were Jose Mourinho and "Chelsea" fans.
During the substitution, the home fans applauded him as a hero, J. Mourinho called his player the "best match player," and "Chelsea" comically tried to cover up D. Costa's shameful actions on their "Twitter" account.
