Conte: Costa is 'the best striker in the world'

Before Tuesday's two-goal showing against Southampton, Diego Costa had gone seven Chelsea appearances without bulging the onion bag.

But ahead of facing the Premier League's top scorer Romelu Lukaku on Sunday, Costa's manager Antonio Conte is confident he's got the world's greatest artilleryman in his ranks.

"Lukaku is a good guy but for us Diego is very important and, in this part of the season, he will be decisive for us," Conte told BBC Sport before travelling to Everton.

"We are talking about two great strikers. But you know that Diego, for me, is the best striker in the world."

Conte has drawn the best out of Costa. The striker's scored seven more goals than last season with four matches still to play, and an approach previously blighted by indiscipline has seen his fouls per 90 minutes drop from 1.6 to 1.3. He's winning free-kicks for his team too: he's fouled 2.7 times every 90 minutes, compared to last term's average of 1.9.

Simply put, the Spain international is more selfless.

"I think it's great to have talent. But I like a lot when you are a warrior during the game and, above all, if players with talent show they work hard during the game," Conte said.

Despite the glowing reference from his boss, Costa continues to be linked with a move away from Chelsea while Lukaku's rumoured to be rejoining the Blues after leaving permanently for Merseyside in 2014.

Chelsea's last match against Everton could be considered one of the defining matches in its title surge. Costa was on the scoresheet as the Stamford Bridge outfit overwhelmed its visitor with a 5-0 hammering.