Chelsea and Liverpool Legends took part in a charity match at Stamford Bridge – and tempers boiled over between two former Premier League stars.
Usually, charity matches are friendly affairs with the sole purpose of raising funds for worthy causes.
On Saturday, Chelsea played hosts to Liverpool Legends at Stamford Bridge, with the proceeds going to the Chelsea FC Foundation and the Chelsea Players' Trust.
Petr Čech, Gary Cahill, William Gallas, John Terry, Ramires, John Obi Mikel, Claude Makélélé, Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa started the match for the home side managed by Roberto Di Matteo.
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The visitors’ side, managed by Ian Rush, John Aldridge, Phil Thompson and Sammy Lee, featured Pepe Reina, Ragnar Klavan, Martin Škrtel, Gregory Vignal, Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing, Igor Bišćan, Fábio Aurélio, Yossi Benayoun, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, and Ryan Babel.
And the family-friendly atmosphere did not last long when Liverpool defender Skrtel put in a solid challenge on Costa, who quickly rose to his feet before confronting the Slovakian.
On that occasion, the referee appeared to defuse the situation until Costa got revenge a short while later when he smashed into the back of the Reds man after he had already played the ball.
Costa even received a yellow card before his war of words with Skrtel continued, causing the commentator to say, “I don’t mind this, as long as they don’t go over the edge”.
And this was not the first time Skrtel and Costa were involved in an on-pitch feud, as back in 2015, the forward was lucky to escape a red card after he appeared to stamp on the defender during a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool.
The ex-Spain and Brazil international was also embroiled in an altercation with Martin Kelly and decided to lash out at the Englishman after a heavy challenge in the legends match.
Fans were quick to have their say on Costa's appearance via social media.
One said: "People don’t really change, and Diego Costa reminding us why."
Another added: "Diego Costa will always be Diego Costa. There is no such thing as a friendly game to him."
A third claimed: "Diego Costa beefing Skrtel like it’s 2015, football is back."
The 37-year-old was one of the best Premier League strikers during his peak years and helped the west London club win the league in 2014/15 and 2016/17, as well as the 2015 League Cup.
The former forward also enjoyed three spells at La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid before briefly returning to England with Wolves in 2022.
Costa last played for Brazilian side Gremio in 2024 and is currently without a club.
Topics: Diego Costa, Football, Chelsea, Liverpool
Luke Davies