London, December 17 (AFP): Diego Costa struck as Chelsea won 1-0 at Crystal Palace on Saturday, a club record-equalling 11th straight victory that sent them nine points clear at the Premier League summit. Costa's 43rd-minute header was the striker's sixth goal in his last eight games, his 50th Chelsea goal in total and gave Antonio Conte's side a third successive 1-0 win. Chelsea once again delivered a controlled, effective performance, giving struggling Palace little chance of getting back into the game. "The run is fantastic," said Chelsea manager Conte. "Congratulations to my players, not me. I am pleased for them because they deserve this. "We can improve though." Chelsea matched their record of 11 consecutive wins from April to September 2009, achieving the feat within the same season for the first time, and remain on course to break Arsenal's all-time record of 14. The only blemishes were yellow cards for Costa and N'Golo Kante meaning both players will be suspended for next week's home game against Bournemouth.
