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LONDON. — Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho described Diego Costa as a “special” player after the Spain striker fired the Blues two points clear in the English Premier League. Costa, who passed a late fitness test on a hamstring injury, scored a hat-trick as Chelsea beat Swansea 4-2. The £32m summer signing from Atletico Madrid has seven goals in his first four games for the west London club. “He is one of the best strikers at this moment in football,” Mourinho told BBC Sport. “He is a special player.”

Costa left the Stamford Bridge pitch to exultant cheers after a hat-trick against Swansea City on Saturday highlighted a breathless start to a Chelsea career for a team that has been designed around him. Manager Mourinho said he had built his side to accommodate the powerful Brazil-born Spanish striker but he also tried to calm expectations. — Reuters.