- Diego Costa clashed with Arsenal defenders Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny
- Gabriel was sent off before Arsenal were beaten at Stamford Bridge
- Costa escaped with just a yellow card in the London derby
- But he has now been charged for his tussle with Frenchman Koscielny
- Gabriel has been charged for taking too long to leave the field
- And both clubs have been charged with failing to control their players
Diego Costa is facing a three-match ban for grappling with Laurent Koscielny during Chelsea's win over Arsenal on Saturday.
The striker appeared to claw at the Frenchman's face as they battled for the ball at Stamford Bridge.
The
incident went unpunished but the Football Association have now charged
the Spain international retrospectively with violent conduct.
Diego Costa appeared to strike Laurent Koscielny in the face as they grappled in the box during Chelsea's win
Costa had both hands on Koscielny's face at one point as their duel escalated
Koscielny tumbles to the ground after his heated confrontation with the Spain striker
Costa and Koscielny start their duel after the French defender had been knocked over
FA
chiefs studied controversial referee Mike Dean's match report on the
incident towards the end of the first half at Stamford Bridge before
unanimously deciding to punish the Chelsea forward.
Costa
was booked, but it was not been made clear whether it was for the
incident with Koscielny or his exchange with Gabriel that led to the
Arsenal defender's red card.
The
Brazilian was followed down the runnel by midfield team-mate Santi
Cazorla in the second half as he was given his marching orders following
two yellow cards.
Gabriel
has been charged with improper conduct for his behaviour following his
dismissal, whilst team-mate Cazorla has been warned for his behaviour
following his sending off. Both clubs have been charged with failing to
control their players
Costa has until 6pm on Tuesday to respond while Gabriel and both clubs have until the same time on Thursday.
Chelsea went on to win the grudge match at Stamford Bridge 2-0 after goals from Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard.
Costa also had an altercation with Gabriel as Chelsea breathed new life into their season with the victory
Costa appeared to lash out at both Koscielny and Gabriel which led to the latter being sent off
The Chelsea man grabbed Gabriel by the neck as he arrived to defend his team-mate
The Brazilian defender was left was clear scratch-marks on his neck, and both players were booked
Blues
boss Jose Mourinho was seething when Costa was retrospectively
sanctioned in February for treading on Liverpool's Emre Can, part of
what the Chelsea boss perceived as a 'campaign' against his side which
included a Sky Sports montage entitled 'Costa's Crimes'.
But
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he hoped referee Dean would look
again at Costa's actions before filing his match report.
'The
match officials should have been aware of Costa's reputation during his
first 14 months in the Barclays Premier League', Wenger said, but
statistics show the striker did not commit a foul in the match.
Gabriel
became involved after Costa grappled with Koscielny, pushing the
defender in the face with his hands before catching him with a flailing
arm.
And Zouma has since admitted Costa deliberately cheats.
He
told BeIn Sport: '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.'
Referee Mike Dean pulls a red card for Gabriel as Arsenal collapsed at Stamford Bridge
Santi Cazorla was also sent off as the Gunners' miserable run against Jose Mourinho's side continued
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