Costa is grabbing all the headlines at the moment, and justifiably so. The big Brazilian-Spaniard has already scored seven league goals in four games, which is two more than Fernando Torres managed all of last year. More than just a supremely talented player, though, Costa also is an outrageously good fit for this Chelsea side, especially compared to Torres. With opposing teams often parking the bus, Chelsea is consistently forced to work its way through two banks of four. Costa thrives against these types of defenses: his combination of strength, clever movement, and predatory instincts makes him a near unstoppable force. On Saturday against Swansea, who had conceded just one goal in their first three games, Costa demonstrated each of these qualities on his way to a clinical hat trick.

First, he utilized an advanced technique that experts call “I’m bigger and stronger than you are” on a corner to head in Chelsea’s equalizer.

Next, he took up an excellent position to tap in Fabregas’s nifty squared pass.

Particularly astute Cauldron-ites will notice the hugely relevant hashtag on the advertising boards.

And finally, he completed his hat trick with the ultimate poacher’s goal, anticipating Ramires’s scuffed shot and slotting past a helpless Lukasz Fabianski.

As adept as Costa is at scoring against parked buses, Fabregas is at breaking them down, making him a unique and precious commodity in Chelsea’s midfield armada. It’s not that Chelsea didn’t have midfielders who could attack before his arrival: Eden Hazard, Andre Schurrle, Oscar, and Willian were already on the team, after all. But crucially, those four are all players who are at their best at pace on the counterattack, which helps explain much of Chelsea’s success against fellow good teams last season. However, none is genuinely world-class when it comes to unlocking a bunkered-in defense with precise passes. That is Fabregas’s forte, and he’s as capable as any player in the world in this department.

Fabregas already has six league assists, giving him just one fewer than Chelsea’s leading assister from all of last season. Further, he’s already demonstrated a wide variety of assisting styles against teams willing to put 10 men behind the ball: pinpoint set pieces, composed cutbacks (seen in Costa’s second goal above), and most notably, *that* pass to Schurrle in the opening game.