Antonio Conte insisted said that Diego Costa’s Chelsea future was settled until the end of the season after the controversial striker scored on his return to the first team against Hull City. Costa scored just before half-time in a game that Chelsea won 2-0, putting them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with just 16 games left this season.

Costa had been dropped for last Saturday’s trip to Leicester City after having his head turned by a £30million salary offer from Tianjin Quanjian. Chelsea always insisted that Costa was not for sale and Conte said that his goal-scoring return to the team meant that he was going nowhere this January. But when Conte was asked whether Costa would sign a new deal to secure his future beyond this season, he could offer no assurances.

“It is important Diego played a good game, and I hope with this game to finish the speculation about him, about me and him, and about Chelsea,” Conte said. “I think we showed that we are a team with a great unity, and I think this is the real value that helps us stay top of the table.”

Costa’s Chelsea contract lasts until June 2019 meaning that the club will have to either sell him or offer him a new deal this summer, when he will have two years left. It is no secret that Costa wanted to go back to Atletico Madrid last summer, or that he wanted to go to China earlier this month. While a new deal would secure Costa’s future, Conte could not promise that he would sign one, and said he would not try to “see too far into the future”.

“Diego has two years of contract, before his contract expires with Chelsea,” he said. “I think his contract puts to an end all the speculation. I repeat: he's very happy to stay with us and to play with Chelsea. For us, now, it's very important for us to concentrate on the present and not try and see too far into the future. That will risk us not seeing the present.”

Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Thibaut Courtois – 6 out of 10 Had to only make a couple of saves, but that’s all that was required. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta – 5 out of 10 Lost his shape at the back at times, but did the simple stuff well. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings David Luiz – 6 out of 10 Was required to make a number of last ditch challenges that saved Chelsea from humiliation. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Gary Cahill – 7 out of 10 Defended courageously and deserved his goal to seal the deal and double Chelsea’s tally. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Victor Moses – 7 out of 10 Was brilliant in the air, charged up and down the pitch constantly and created play from the back. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings N’Golo Kante - 6 out of 10 Held his own in the middle of the park – overall was a positive display. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Nemanja Matic – 5 out of 10 Made a number of questionable decisions in possession and needed to be more involved. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Marcos Alonso – 6 out of 10 He was causing problems down the left and his deliveries into the box put the Hull defence under constant pressure. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Pedro – 6 out of 10 His set pieces need some work, but aside from this he created some good moves. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Eden Hazard - 7 out of 10 Looked incredibly confident with the ball at his feet, created chances and made space well up top. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Diego Costa – 8 out of 10 Looked alert, sharp and hungry for goals. His goal before half-time was crucial for the home side. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Eldin Jakupovic – 6 out of 10 Made a handful of important saves throughout but did concede two. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Harry Maguire – 7 out of 10 Looked incredibly confident with the ball at his feet and running at the Chelsea defence. Would have been interesting to see more of it. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Michael Dawson – 6 out of 10 Continued to hunt down possession and worked persistently. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Curtis Davies – 5 out of 10 Made the right decisions when on the ball, but did not see enough action for a player of such ability. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Omar Elabdellaoui – 5 out of 10 Failed to keep up with the movement and pace of the Chelsea strike force. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Tom Huddlestone – 6 out of 10 Battled hard but would have been good to see him take a more attacking approach to the game. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Ryan Mason – N/A Went off in the early stages of the game with a head injury. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Andrew Robertson – 5 out of 10 A quiet performance – failed to find his feet throughout. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Evandro Goebel – 6 out of 10 Deliveries into the box were causing problems, but Hull lacked an attacking presence to make the most of them. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Sam Clucas - 6 out of 10 His positioning was good and he was exploiting weaknesses and gaps in the Chelsea defence. Getty Images Chelsea v Hull City player ratings Abel Hernandez – 5 out of 10 Failed to hold the ball up and couldn’t make an impact on the game due to a lack of service. Getty Images

Conte admitted that any decisions on Costa’s future would be taken by the club’s board and would not just be down to him. “A new contract? I don't know,” Conte said. “This decision is something you have to take together with the club. But, I repeat, I don't see any problem with Diego and his contract.”