Chelsea and Liverpool Legends faced off in a charity match at Stamford Bridge — but the friendly occasion turned tense after tempers flared between two former Premier League rivals.
Charity fixtures are typically light-hearted events aimed at supporting good causes. However, during Saturday’s game, hosted by Chelsea to benefit the Chelsea FC Foundation and Chelsea Players’ Trust, things got heated.
Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea side featured Petr Čech, Gary Cahill, William Gallas, John Terry, Ramires, John Obi Mikel, Claude Makélélé, Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou, Eden Hazard, and Diego Costa.
Liverpool Legends, managed by Ian Rush, John Aldridge, Phil Thompson, and Sammy Lee, included Pepe Reina, Ragnar Klavan, Martin Škrtel, Gregory Vignal, Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing, Igor Bišćan, Fábio Aurélio, Yossi Benayoun, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, and Ryan Babel.
The match’s family-friendly tone quickly changed when Martin Škrtel made a firm tackle on Diego Costa, prompting the fiery striker to confront the Slovak defender. The referee initially calmed things down, but moments later Costa retaliated by clattering into Škrtel from behind after he had released the ball.
Costa received a yellow card, yet the verbal exchange between the two continued — prompting one commentator to remark, “I don’t mind this, as long as they don’t go over the edge.”
This wasn’t their first clash either; back in 2015, Costa narrowly avoided a red card after appearing to stamp on Škrtel during a 3–1 defeat to Liverpool.
Costa also found himself in a scuffle with Martin Kelly, reacting angrily after a strong challenge from the English defender.
Fans quickly took to social media to comment on Costa’s antics:
“People don’t really change, and Diego Costa’s reminding us why.”
“Diego Costa will always be Diego Costa — there’s no such thing as a friendly for him.”
“Costa beefing with Škrtel like it’s 2015 — football is truly back.”
Now 37, Costa was one of the Premier League’s most feared strikers during his prime, helping Chelsea to two league titles (2014/15, 2016/17) and the 2015 League Cup.
He also enjoyed multiple spells with Atletico Madrid and had a short stint with Wolves in 2022 before most recently playing for Grêmio in 2024. Costa is currently a free agent.
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