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Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma admits teammate Diego Costa is a 'cheat' in post-match interview

The defender was speaking after his side's 2-0 victory over Arsenal

Monday 21 September 2015 15:02 BST

Kurt Zouma opened the scoring against Arsenal on Saturday (Getty Images)

Kurt Zouma has admitted in a post-match television interview that Diego Costa is a 'cheat' and he was 'not surprised' by the striker's controversial antics against Arsenal on Saturday.

Costa has been roundly criticised for his behaviour during the lunchtime kick-off, having clashed with both Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel yet only receiving a yellow card.

The Spain international was spotted slapping Koscielny in the face off-the-ball before chest-bumping the French defender so forcefully that he fell to the floor.

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Thibaut Courtois

An initially innocuous challenge from Alexis Sanchez cut his afternoon short. 5

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Branislav Ivanovic

With his menacing gallops up field, Chelsea’s reliable right-back delivered a predictably assured display. Whenever Mesut Ozil drifted onto the flank, the German was second best. 7

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Gary Cahill

Launching into a wild tackle on Alexis Sanchez, Gary Cahill’s actions led to unsavoury scenes on the touchline. With his manager squabbling with Arsene Wenger for much of the tie as a result, the England centre-back delivered a decent shift. 7

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John Terry

Stood firm in a typically combative manner. Dealt with the threats of Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez with relative ease for large periods. 7

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Cesar Azpilicueta

Predominantly tasked with dealing with either Santi Cazorla or Mesut Ozil, with the pair swapping positions often, the Spanish defender was up to the task. 7

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Nemanja Matic

Providing the steel to the support Cesc Fabregas’s silky play, the Serb proved once again why Jose Mourinho re-signed him in January. A commanding day’s work. 7

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Cesc Fabregas

Played in Eden Hazard to win a penalty in the first half after a superb run through a labyrinth of red shirts. Was booed regularly by a small section of Gunners fans but responded in the best way possible. 7

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Andre Schurrle

Substituted in the 68th minute, after a lively display, the German midfielder didn’t stop running. Lacking a precision to his passing which could have put Chelsea into commanding positions, however, he may believe he could have done more. 6

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Oscar

Put in a defensive shift when called upon while providing his usual mix of flair and composure up front. 6

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Eden Hazard

After expertly ‘winning’ the penalty which gave Chelsea a springboard of which to build upon, the Belgian was a constant threat who Arsenal struggled to contend with. 7

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Diego Costa

Got on the score sheet again with a delightful chip over Wojciech Szczesny’s head, but may be remembered for an extraordinary miss from four yards in the latter stages. An otherwise impressive display. 7

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Wojciech Szczesny

Had little to do before he had to pick the ball out of his own net after Hazard’s penalty. Still looked nervy when given time, and left himself exposed to Costa’s chip when he chose to come out, though there was little else he could do. 6

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Calum Chambers

Struggled to deal with the pace of Chelsea’s counter-attack and picked up a booking when he brought down Hazard. Could’ve been sent-off when he tackled Schurrle on the edge of the box. 5

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Per Mertesacker

Tried to boss the defence lie usual, but couldn’t cope with the pace of Costa when the striker was allowed to run at him, such as the second goal demonstrated. 6

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Laurent Koscielny

Dived in on Hazard to give away the penalty but the Belgian should’ve been stopped a long time before he got there. Appears to have lost the reliability he and Mertesacker built last season. 5

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Kieran Gibbs

Offered Arsenal an out on the left flank and combined well with Sanchez. Looked much more exposed when Özil played in front of him, but probably Arsenal’s best defender on the day. 6

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Mathieu Flamini

Brought control to the midfield and played quite well without being spectacular. Put in a few hard tackles in the first half, but he certainly isn’t the answer to Arsenal’s problems at defensive midfield. 6

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Mesut Ozil

How he managed to last the 90 minutes is anyone’s guess. Looked off the pace and was poor throughout, his touch to knock the ball straight out on the hour mark summed up his performance. 4

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Jack Wilshere

Had a brilliant chance to level the score after half-an-hour but his heavy touch allowed Cech to rush out and gather the ball. Showed two lovely runs in the second half, but left when the game was over. 7

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Santi Cazorla

Went close for Arsenal when he shot first time from the edge of the box, only to see it go narrowly wide of the right-hand post. Was far from impressed at being subbed off. 6

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Alexis Sanchez

A constant threat down the left wing and posed a number of problems to Ivanovic. Wenger is still yet to work out where he can get the best out of Sanchez though. Terrific in tracking back, and lucky not to get hurt from Cahill’s challenge. 7

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Danny Welbeck

Appeared a lonely figure up front at times, and when he needed to put in a big performance he ultimately failed. Still, showed some classy touches, especially when he floated left towards Sanchez. 6

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Gabriel, who took umbrage to Costa's behaviour, received a yellow card for his angry reaction and saw red moments later after he appeared to stand on the Chelsea striker's foot.

When asked whether he was surprised by his Costa's shenanigans, Zouma said that his teammate had acted exactly as he would have expected.

"No, we're not surprised because we know Diego," Zouma told Bein Sports. "Everyone knows Diego and this guy likes to cheat a lot and put the opponent out of his game.

"That happened in the game but he's a really nice guy," Zouma continued.

"We're proud to have him, like the other players, and we're happy to win this game today."

Zouma scored Chelsea's opening goal against Arsenal, giving his side a lead which was later doubled by Eden Hazard's deflected shot. Arsenal finished the game with nine men, after Santi Cazorla also received his marching orders.

Costa is currently waiting to hear whether he will be punished retrospectively by the Football Association for his behaviour, with a decision expected to announced on Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are hoping an appeal to the FA will see Gabriel's ban reduced from three games to two. A relaxation of the defender's suspension would allow him to face Manchester United when they visit the Emirates in just under two weeks time.

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