• Premier League

Costa winds up defenders and feeds off niggle - Allardyce

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has warned his defenders to keep their cool if Chelsea striker Diego Costa tries to wind them up on Wednesday.

Costa has scored 17 goals during an impressive debut campaign at Stamford Bridge but the 26-year-old has also courted controversy with his combative style of play.

The Spain forward was handed a three-match ban in January for stamping on Liverpool's Emre Can, and with eight yellow cards is only two cautions away from another suspension.

"We're not to get involved with him, our central defenders are not to get involved with how he might upset them," Allardyce said.

"People say he's an old-fashioned centre forward because he seems to get motivated by the physical and niggly aspect of it so we're not to get involved in that.

"I don't think it winds him up - it winds him up to make him better which is a silly thing to do. He winds defenders up too, he'll do a bit of digging and niggling himself which is all part of how good he is.

"He's one of many we need to shackle down and if we are to keep him quiet we need to limit the service that is given to him."

Costa has failed to score in five matches but it was his strike that deflected in off Kyle Walker as Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-0 in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

"You can tag him for quite a while in some cases and then all of a sudden he pops up and however he seems to score it seems to go in the back of the net," Allardyce said.

"That might be good fortune or his expertise as a finisher - he can head them in, scuff them in, mis-kick them in, hit them in sweet, hit them in through the legs, deflect them in off the defender - it shows his great ability to score goals.

"He has scored all types of goals throughout the season, which is why he looks like one of the few who can go better than the 20-mark in one season."

Diego Costa's strike deflected in off Kyle Walker as Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-0 at Wembley © Getty Images

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