Chelsea's Kurt Zouma backtracks after saying Diego Costa 'likes to cheat a lot'

Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma didn't hesitate to call teammate Diego Costa a cheater after the contentious win over Arsenal on Saturday.

If only he meant it.

Costa didn't officially commit a foul, but he was charged by the FA on Monday for an "alleged act of violent conduct" in which he appeared to hit defender Laurent Koscielny in the face.

Zouma, in an original interview with beIN Sports following the match, seemed to suggest that Costa was doing all he could to con his opponents:

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.

But the 20-year-old Frenchman later attempted to clarify his remarks on Twitter:

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Costa should have been sent off twice, adding that his behaviour was "unacceptable."

Instead, the Gunners lost two men of their own as Gabriel Paulista and Santi Cazorla saw red.