Lingering effects from the Chelsea/Arsenal fixture are sure to impact future games of the EPL season as Arsenal won their appeal to have defender Gabriel Paulista’s suspension for violent conduct reduced by the English FA from three games to one.
Many saw this ban as a harsh penalty as Gabriel received a sending off for a pretty weak offense. He earned a red card for his violent action against Chelsea’s Diego Costa, as he confronted Costa and, later in the game, stepped on Costa (might or might not have been on purpose, but either way it happened). After some protest by Costa to the official, Gabriel was ejected and left Arsenal with 10 men before the half.
Speaking of Diego Costa, the FA wasn’t as merciful with him as he was slapped with a three-match ban for his actions against Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny. Costa raked his hands over Koscielny’s face twice and was not booked for his aggression.
A statement from the English FA read:
“An FA charge against Diego Costa for violent conduct not seen by the match officials but caught on video has been found proven following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing… The Chelsea forward will, therefore, serve the standard penalty of a three-match suspension with immediate effect.”
The current suspension will see Costa miss Chelsea’s Capitsl One Cup fixture against third-tier Walsall as well as two English Premier League matches against Southampton and Aston Villa.
This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that we see Diego Costa receive a ban for violent conduct. He has received multiple bans before and has long been accused of being a “dirty” player by rival coaches and players. While some might call his style of play “aggressive” or “physical”, others argue that Costa gets way out of hand with how bellicose he his.
Costa is also known to be an instigator, winding up opponents, causing them to lose their cool and their focus. He constantly picks fights, instigates squabbles, and most of all he just plain gets on player’s (and opposing fan’s) nerves. Jose Mourinho said of Costa that he was the man of the match against the Gunners, as he was the decisive factor that changed the game for Chelsea.
However, with Costa out for three matches, Chelsea will be without one of their key players. Despite his slow start to the season in the goalscoring category, Costa is still a threat for Chelsea and Mourinho will have to look to other options in front.
Whether you love or hate Costa’s antics, he is still an important piece to the Chelsea machine and his antagonistic techniques will surely have his opposition breathing a sigh of relief.
