Revisiting when Jordan Henderson’s stare made Diego Costa sh*t bricks

The psyche of the alpha male athlete is a fascinating thing to behold. 

While the slightest criticism is enough to ruin most people’s day, your professional sportsman must be – or appear to be – impervious to such emotions.

Alongside this, it’s imperative for an athlete to hold themselves in the highest possible esteem. In the dog-eat-dog world of professional sport, where obstacles lie around every corner, falling victim to extended periods of self-doubt would be counter-productive.

Even though footballers showing weakness and embracing their human side is increasingly applauded, showing weakness to your opponent on the pitch is still actively discouraged.

At this point, we invite you to cast your minds back to January 2015 when Diego Costa was in his imperial phase.

Since joining Chelsea the previous summer, Costa bestrode over Premier League defences like the Empire State Building over a series of bungalows.

“Diego Costa says he never takes his work home with him. Which is probably a good thing,” wrote The Guardian’s Sid Lowe of the striker when he was at Atletico Madrid.

“If he did, he might walk through the door, goad the dog with a stick, surreptitiously elbow his wife out of the way on the stairs, shrug his shoulders innocently as she lay in a crumpled heap at the bottom and whisper insults to his children, look the other way and whistle when they burst into tears.”

Amongst all the shithousery and bruised egos, Costa was simultaneously firing Chelsea to the league title. Under the management of Jose Mourinho, who one suspects looked upon Costa as a long-lost son, the Spain international had scored 17 goals before facing Liverpool in the League Cup semi-finals.

A trip to Anfield wouldn’t have daunted him but it did lead to one opponent finally standing up to the battering-ram striker.

Enter, Jordan Henderson.

READ: We’ve just seen Jordan Henderson’s rabona assist & we’re in complete awe

January 2015 was a strange time for Liverpool. Memories of the previous season’s title challenge, which strongly resembled The Charge of the Light Brigade in its doomed bravery, had faded following a stuttering first half of the season.

Captain Steven Gerrard was about to announce his retirement and Liverpool desperately needed someone to stand up and demonstrate some leadership qualities.

Henderson was that man. His footballing abilities may have been questioned during his early years at Anfield, but the midfielder’s work…