Diego Costa's brilliance

Despite a lack of silverware last season, standout performances against Manchester City home and away, Arsenal at home and Liverpool away gave every Chelsea fan cause for optimism going into the new season.

However, it seemed evident that Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea were missing one crucial piece of the puzzle; a deadly striker. Between them, Fernando Torres Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba provided fleeting signs they could be prolific marksmen but a first Premier League title since 2010 ultimately proved elusive. Chelsea were quick to identify Diego Costa as the man to score the goals to fire us to the title, and so far so good.

The Brazilian-born Spaniard has swiftly become the most dangerous front man in the Premier League this season, taking no time at all to adapt to the tempo of the English game. With nine goals in his first seven games - the best ratio of any foreign import to the Premier League, Diego Costa has emphatically added a cutting edge to Chelsea's attack which at times was missing last season.

Mourinho has placed his full trust in the Spanish international and Costa has immediately elevated himself into the first-choice striker at Chelsea. Fan favourite Didier Drogba and French international Loic Remy have been added to the squad and will provide strong competition but there are no illusions as to who Mourinho and us Stamford Bridge faithful are counting on to help steer Chelsea to Premier League glory this season.

With a collection of potent, aggressive and utterly lethal performances so far, Mourinho has seen his decision vindicated.

Diego Costa's seamless transition to life in London began by inspiring Chelsea to a 3-1 win over Burnley at Turf Moor in our opening league match, grabbing a debut goal and exciting the travelling fans with a display of power, physicality and clinical finishing. He went on to score in his first game at Stamford Bridge in a 2-0 win over Leicester before providing definitive proof that he was money well spent with a double against Everton in a thrilling 6-3 win at Goodison Park. The Everton match is perhaps the finest illustration of Diego Costa as a player, as it showcased much more than just his goalscoring prowess. His physical approach to the game stands as an ideal attribute in edging the psychological battle between striker and defender.

He followed up his two-goal return at Everton with his first Chelsea hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Swansea at Stamford Bridge.

When Chelsea travelled to the Etihad Stadium to play against title rivals Manchester City, his tireless work ethic proved too much for Pablo Zabaleta, who was sent off for clashing with the Chelsea striker. A tenacious display throughout epitomised Chelsea’s performance as we came away with a point.

Of course, one of the most striking elements in Diego Costa's time has been his telepathic understanding with fellow summer recruit Cesc Fabregas. In the 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday, the forward latched on to an inch-perfect Fabregas pass, shrugging off the challenge of Laurent Koscielny before delightfully lobbing the ball over Wojciech Szczęsny and ensuring another precious three points. It was reflective of a footballing harmony on the pitch this season that has fired Chelsea into a commanding five-point lead.

The vision and guile of Fabregas, wonderfully complimented by the formidable force that is Diego Costahas continuously aided in killing off more challengers. It is a partnership which has every other Premier League team shaking, and even at this early stage it is becoming increasingly difficult to look past Chelsea when it comes to winning the league.

Chelsea now have the craft and genius to match the explosive pace of Eden Hazard, the physical qualities of Nemanja Matic and the rock solid defence of Terry, Cahill, Azpilucueta and Ivanovic – who have been ever present in the Premier League this season.

Diego Costa’s addition to the team though has helped transform Chelsea into one of the most fluid and potent attacking units in world football. His goals alone may prove to be the decisive factor in how much silverware we are celebrating at the end of the season.