The Blues striker put the recent talk about him to bed with another decisive performance for his club against Hull City
Having returned to the starting XI after a week surrounding a potential move to China, Costa was easily found in the centre of the penalty area by a low cross sent in by Victor Moses.
And, after Costa had made it 1-0, Gary Cahill killed off the game as he nodded home the second from a dangerous Fabregas cross. The win was vital as Chelsea closed out game week 22.
Antonio Conte had stated that the striker missed his side's 3-0 win over Leicester City with a back injury, but there has been talk that the offer of a £30 million-per-year salary in China had left him unsettled at Stamford Bridge.
However, his goal and performance on Sunday was his first chance to send a public message to his fans who have struggled to come to terms with the news that he might want to leave the club in the future.
The 28-year-old is set to stay in west London - for the time being at least - and will continue to aid his side in the title race as well as compete with Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez for the league's golden boot. The pair are both on 15 goals so far this season.
Chelsea's win over Hull wasn't the prettiest and Marco Silva's side played fantastically well, carving out several chances despite being strong outsiders in the match. Costa underlined his importance to Chelsea as he marked his 100th appearance for the club with a goal and was involved in almost all of his side's most dangerous moments.
In the first minute, Costa signalled his threat with a sweet, albeit inaccurate volley after David Luiz's long ball to Pedro landed at his feet via the head of Craig Dawson. Costa was one of Chelsea's better performers, with Eden Hazard looking out of sorts (a few good flurries aside) and Pedro not offering the same threat he has in recent weeks.
The inclusion of Fabregas and Willian late on really boosted Chelsea and Costa had several efforts as he aimed to add to his first-half goal, displaying great movement, but perhaps not getting the luck his performance deserved.
Chelsea's title bid will be hugely boosted by Costa, who played 86 minutes on his return. A falling out between Conte and Costa is something to fear and could be enough to derail the club's Premier League push in their new boss' first season in charge.
Conte and Costa shook hands in the 86th minute as he earned a standing ovation from the crowd, with Michy Batshuayi making another cameo appearance from the shadow of his club's leading scorer.
Costa is irreplaceable for his side in January and a move was never going to be on the cards, despite the ludicrous sums he was being offered from China. His response on the pitch at Stamford Bridge showed that he remains focused and that he will be decisive, regardless of what is happening off the pitch.
The Spain international is a single-minded goalscoring machine and his performance against one of the relegation favourites is great preparation for bigger tests to come against Liverpool and Arsenal.
Even though it wasn't Chelsea's greatest day under Conte, Costa has showed that he is committed, motivated and in-form, which is a relief to everyone around Chelsea Football Club.
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