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CHELSEA defender Kurt Zouma has told beIN SPORTS that striker Diego Costa “likes to cheat” but he is a “really nice guy.” Costa, 26, has come in for criticism after his performance in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday. The Spain international clashed with Arsenal defenders Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel Paulista in the first half at Stamford Bridge.

After Costa and Gabriel were both booked, the Arsenal centre-back was sent off for flicking a boot at the Chelsea player.

Zouma, who opened the scoring in the second half, said: “No, we’re not surprised because we know Diego. 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. We’re proud to have him, like the other players, and we’re happy to win this game today.”

Yesterday, Zouma, 20, wrote on his Twitter account that he did not mean to label Costa as a “cheat.” — ESPN