Diego Costa shines, Chelsea wins first match with Hiddink

Goals from Oscar, Willian and Diego Costa gave Chelsea a 3-0 win in the London derby against Crystal Palace.

Diego Costa has scored three goals in three games since parting ways with coach Mourinho. Photo: Reuters.

Chelsea opened the scoring in the 29th minute after Diego Costa escaped thanks to Delaney's mistake and passed back to Oscar to score.

After opening the scoring, Chelsea had a favorable position while Crystal Palace seemed eager to find an equalizer. This contributed to Chelsea scoring two more goals in the second half after a long-range shot from Willian and a rebound from Diego Costa.

This was Guus Hiddink's first win in his second spell at Chelsea. Since replacing Mourinho, Chelsea have yet to taste defeat. The last four consecutive matches without a loss is Chelsea's longest unbeaten run this season.

Hiddink's side have climbed to 14th place but are still 12 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, a gap that could widen if Tottenham avoid defeat at Everton in their latest match of the 20th round.

Chelsea’s away form in the first leg was abysmal, with just six points to their name. They finished just above bottom two Sunderland and Aston Villa. By beating seventh-placed Crystal Palace, Chelsea secured their first away win since August 2015. The win was all the more significant as it came in the first round of the return leg, bringing with it the hope of a turnaround for the rest of the season.

Diego Costa was the flag bearer for Chelsea, just like the leader that Hiddink spoke of when he took over. At Selhurst Park, the Spanish striker was involved in all three goals. This continued one of Diego Costa's best performances of the season, after scoring twice in the 2-2 draw with Watford.

Similar to Oscar, a player who was unexpectedly favored by coach Hiddink, Mikel, has gradually shown his worth. The Nigerian midfielder is an important link in the middle of the field and intercepts Crystal Palace's counter-attacks. While Matic's form has been severely reduced, Mikel has been Hiddink's savior in the role of center of the squad.

Hiddink's first win is a good sign for Chelsea. Photo: Reuters.

Hiddink won his first game, but Chelsea's image was very Mourinho-esque. Chelsea were almost deadlocked in the first half by the home defense and were surprised by Delaney's failed interception. Oscar's opening goal turned the game around, allowing Chelsea to leisurely keep the ball and wait for the opponent's opening.

What Chelsea had been waiting for came when Crystal Palace pushed forward in the second half and opened up more space. With the home side in full swing, Chelsea had two deadly stabs to finish off their opponents in just six minutes. The way Chelsea finished off their opponents made the reigning champions look more present than ever, not dominating but making the most of their opportunities.

The unfortunate thing for Crystal Palace in this match is that they did not have their best players in attack. The midfield without Yohan Cabaye due to suspension was completely overshadowed by the strength of Mikel and the weakness on the wings of Zaha and Puncheon only made them miss Yannick Bolasie more.

In the match marking his first year in charge of Crystal Palace, manager Alan Pardew tried to get a good result but the thought of scoring easily against Chelsea was his downfall. However, Crystal Palace are still in seventh place after this match and the chance of competing for a European Cup is bright.

According to VNE