Costa insists mid-game spat with 'brother' Pedro was 'nothing'

Diego Costa dismissed the importance of his mid-game spat with Pedro during Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, likening his fellow Spain international to a "brother".

Premier League pacesetters Chelsea were denied a record 14th successive win in a single top-flight season as Dele Alli's double earned Spurs the bragging rights over their London rivals at White Hart Lane.

Part of Chelsea's problem on the day was a lack of cohesion in attack and that was encapsulated by a first-half incident that saw Pedro and Costa embroiled in a heated exchange after a miscommunication between the two.

The pair argued for several minutes before eventually appearing to shake hands and Costa is adamant that their relationship did not suffer any lasting damage.

"Nothing happened," the former Atletico Madrid striker told International Business Times.

"We have a great understanding with each other. When you have a trusted relationship and intimacy with a team-mate it is normal for these things to happen.

"It was just a moment during the game and that's it. It was nothing.

"I told him: 'You have to get in there, why didn't you go?' He said 'I went' and I said he didn't. That's it.

"Pedro is my brother and we love each other."