Diego Costa shines, Chelsea wins first match with Hiddink

Goals from Oscar, Willian and Diego Costa helped Chelsea to 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 and Crystal Palace seemed eager to find an equalizer. This contributed to Chelsea having 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 victory in his second term at Chelsea. Since replacing Mourinho, Chelsea have yet to taste defeat. The last four consecutive games 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. This gap could widen if Tottenham avoid defeat at Everton in the latest match of round 20.

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 is the flag bearer for Chelsea, like the leader that Hiddink spoke of when he took over. At Selhurst Park, the Spanish striker contributed to all three goals. This continued to be one of Diego Costa's best performances this 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 is 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 in this match was very much in the style of Mourinho. Chelsea were almost deadlocked in the first half by the home defense and were suddenly rewarded by a failed interception by Delaney. 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 as Crystal Palace pushed forward in the second half and more space appeared. With the home team in full swing, Chelsea had two deadly stabs to finish off their opponents in just six minutes. Chelsea's way of finishing off their opponents made the reigning champions look more clear than ever, not necessarily dominating but always 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 Mikel's strength 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 chances of competing for a European Cup spot are bright.

According to VNE