Ryan Shawcross: How to deal with 'bully' Diego Costa and keep Chelsea quiet

Ryan Shawcross (right) and Diego Costa square up to each other

RYAN SHAWCROSS says Diego Costa tried to "bully" him during Stoke's 1-0 win over Chelsea today.

 

The pair were involved in number of spats throughout the game, which was won by Marko Arnautovic's acrobatic stunner.

Costa at one point even gestured that he found Shawcross smelly as playground antics took over.

 

"Diego Costa gets in your face, he wants to bully you so you have to stand up to him," Shawcross told the BBC.

"He is a fantastic player who plays close to the line, so to keep him quiet is fantastic.

"We have a fantastic spirit and a good team now.

"Look how many Champions League winners' medals we've got in the squad now."

 

The defeat piles more pressure on Blues manager Jose Mourinho - who was banned from the stadium for today's game.

Chelsea slip to 16th in the Premier League after enduring their seventh loss of the campaign.