Wenger – Costa always gets away with it
Chelsea’s Diego Costa wound up Gabriel yesterday to get the Arsenal defender sent off, but Arsene Wenger thinks that it was wrong for Costa to unpunished for his actions. Wenger said: “Costa can do what he wants and he stays on while everyone who responds to him has to be sent off.
“I think his behaviour is unacceptable. Look at the pictures and what he does to Laurent Koscielny. He pushes him down and hits him in the face before the throw in. And he always gets away with it. It’s surprising.
“I don’t understand referee Mike Dean’s decision at all. Why does Diego Costa stay on the pitch? I accept that Gabriel is sent off, he cannot act like that at all.”
Wenger was then asked if he thought that the FA should investigate and give the Spanish striker a ban. He replied: “That is the least they could do but he will do the same next week and the week after and he always gets away with it. He is always in provocation and he used the naivety of referee Mike Dean well today.”
“Whenever Costa is touched he goes down as if he has been killed.”
Jose Mourinho was not impressed and basically told Wenger to stop moaning every time Chelsea beat him. He said: “I have played against Arsenal, 12, 15 18 times and only once he didn’t moan. And that day we lost the game, we lost the Cup (Community Shield). It was not good for us. We behaved in a fantastic way, No excuses. Not crying, not moaning. “
“I played my first derby in September, 2000, Benfica against Porto. And I told my players before the game you need emotional control.”
“Without emotional control, forget it. We don’t win. I played derbies in Italy, England Spain and Portugal and every derby you don’t win without emotional control.
“If you want to speak about Diego Costa with me it’s just to say he played like he has to play and that’s why you have full stadiums and you sell to television around the world for millions and millions.”
Wenger did admit that Gabriel was at fault for retaliating, but there is no doubt that he was seriously provoked by Costa. It’s a shame really because until then it had been an evenly balanced game..
