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Danyal Khan

Diego Costa fires shots at Tottenham's Antonio Conte after Chelsea return ended in Wolves loss

Like it always does, Diego Costa's Chelsea return ended in drama but not on the pitch!

It only lasted 57 minutes with limited touches and impact on the pitch, but off the field, the real special moment happened with the whole of Stamford Bridge on their feet to applaud a Premier League icon whose best days are certainly behind him now.

At one point during the first half, the 34-year-old had fewer touches than Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. That wasn't just due to Wolves not providing adequate service for the free agent, but Kalidou Koulibaly and Trevoh Chalobah certainly had the player in question in their pockets as the physical challenge proved easy for the pair.

Regardless of the lack of impact made by Costa despite all the build-up and hype, all fans in SW6 certainly wanted to make their feelings clear to the number 29.

READ MORE: What happened to Diego Costa after coming off during Chelsea vs Wolves in Premier League

Upon his exit from the pitch, all sections of Stamford Bridge were on their feet to show their appreciation for Costa with raucous clapping and chanting.

Home supporters even took it upon themselves to mock the travelling contingent with their chant: 'Diego Costa, he has won more than you!' It all seemed in good nature, though, as Wolves responded with a Harry Potter mocking chant of current Blues boss and the wizard's fellow namesake Graham.

It was always a mystery just how Chelsea fans would respond to their former number 19.

"I've got a respect for him, for his career, what he's achieved," Potter said pre-match in his press conference on Friday. "He's a Wolves player, and he's going to come and be ready to play. Everyone at this club knows how good he's been, and I've followed his career from afar and have huge respect for him and what he's achieved as a player. Like I said, lots of talented players at Wolves, especially the forward line. A lot of attacking players there that can hurt you, so we have to be ready."

The former Brighton manager then added when questioned on the reception he may have received: "Yeah, I'm not sure, I hope so. Always for players who've achieved something with the club you hope that. It's not for me to decide. I'm focusing on the team we have, and the support the other night was fantastic, so we're hopefully building on that."

Remember, he did down his tools towards the end as he forced through an Atletico Madrid return after a well-known bust-up occurred behind the scenes between the now Spurs manager Antonio Conte.

Despite this, it was only love shown Costa's way and the same was reciprocated back. Post-match, he opened up about his fondness still for the west Londoners four years on from his exit. Interestingly enough, a little shot was aimed in Conte's direction to explain where it went wrong and where the relationship strained a little during the latter days.

He said to the foreign media post-match: "I've never had a problem with the fans. I left in bad terms with *that* manager, I left a champion for the second time, and he didn't count on me. That was nothing I could do. I had to leave. Today showed that I did not leave on bad terms with the fans.

"It's very special. It's the feeling that in the time that you spent here, you did good work and left good memories. Chelsea fans always treated me very well. I was always surprised by the way they treated me. It's satisfying."

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