Chelsea create eight-point gap at the top of the Premier League

Diego Costa returned to the starting lineup and scored the opening goal as leaders Chelsea beat Hull City 2-0 in the latest match of round 22 of the Premier League.

Goals: Diego Costa 45'+7, Gary Cahill 81'.

Hull City are far behind in class, struggling in the relegation zone and being singled out as heavy favourites for relegation. But at Stamford Bridge on the evening of January 22, they gave Chelsea a tough game. It was not until the final minutes of the first half that the Premier League leaders could open the scoring through Costa, before Cahill sealed the result late in the second half.

Costa opened the scoring with a close-range shot. This was his 15th goal in the Premier League this season. Photo: AFP.

Diego Costa was the most anticipated name in this match when he returned after eight stormy days, because of arguing with the fitness coach amid rumors of wanting to leave Chelsea to go to China to receive a "huge" salary at Tianjin Quanjian Club. And what this Brazilian-born striker showed met the expectations of Chelsea fans, who cheered him enthusiastically throughout his presence on the field.

With six shots, Costa was the only Chelsea player to have more than one in the game against Hull City. One of those six gave the hosts the lead in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time when he appeared to tap home Moses' low cross from the left. Costa had also nearly scored just 10 seconds earlier with a 20-yard strike that went just wide of the post.

First half of the match atStamford Bridge was extended beyond normal time with 10 minutes of added time due to an injury to Ryan Mason for the visitors. The midfielder suffered a severe concussion after an aerial collision with Gary Cahill and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher with an oxygen mask, before being taken straight to hospital.

Mason had to leave the field wearing a mask to receive emergency treatment after a strong head collision with Gary Cahill. Photo: SM & Reuters.

Hull played very hard in the second half and thanks to that, created a relatively equal situation in terms of statistics for the whole match. Accordingly, they had the same nine shots as Chelsea, only slightly less in the number of shots on target (4 - 5), the number of corners won (7 - 9) and the possession index (47%).

However, like themselves in many previous matches, Hull City showed indecision in important situations, and then paid the price for a moment of carelessness. In the 81st minute, from Fabregas' free kick, Cahill headed the ball neatly, sealing a 2-0 victory for Chelsea.

This result, combined with the fact that rivals Tottenham, Liverpool, and Man City all failed to win in round 22, has allowed Chelsea to open up an eight-point gap over second-placed Arsenal. This is also the 15th win in the last 16 matches for Conte's team in the Premier League and the 13th clean sheet since the start of the season.

Conte and his students are in a unique position in the race for the Premier League championship. Photo: Reuters.

History is on Chelsea's side in the title race. No team has ever lost the Premier League title after amassing at least 55 points - as Conte's men currently have - after 22 matches.

According to VNE