The chances of an old 'rivalry' being renewed are unlikely as Arsenal host Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season, but still possible.
When the Gunners and Chelsea locked horns at Wembley Stadium in the 2017 FA Cup final, it was the performances of Rob Holding - and Per Mertesacker - that made the headlines the very next day as he played a key role in securing what turned out to be Arsene Wenger's last piece of silverware as manager.
As the story goes, the central defender, who had been signed from Bolton Wanderers ahead of the 2016/17 campaign, was drafted into the Arsenal line-up as a result of Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel Paulista all missing the showpiece occasion through either injury or suspension.
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And the rest, as they say, is history. Although Costa was able to get on the scoresheet, he was largely kept quiet by Holding - and Mertesacker who had made just one appearance all season prior - as one of the abiding images from that FA Cup final was the Spaniard not taking too kindly to being on the receiving end of a strong tackle and the Gunners' centre-back laughing in response.
It was that precise moment that earned Holding relative hero status amongst the Arsenal faithful and he's since opened up on that battle with Costa.
"I knew Diego Costa’s game was to wind up centre halves," he told Arsenal Player a few months after the final. "I’d seen it many times, watching the games on TV and how he would always wind people up off the ball. I knew he’d try something with me being young, I knew he'd think he could bully me a bit but I just stood up to him. I think we did that well.
"When you’re hot, frustrated and wanting to do well, you get that bit of passion which comes out inside you. If any other Chelsea player had done something to me, I would give them a bit back because I was brought up like that. I was brought up to never shy away from anything.
"I’m not sure how he changed his game [afterwards], but I just think he knew that he wasn’t going to intimidate me. I think that’s what he thought he was going to do because of the age difference. Once he saw I stood up to him, he thought, ‘I’ll try something else here’."
In the six years that have passed, Holding and Costa's paths haven't crossed. That's mostly down to that FA Cup final turning out to be the striker's last appearance in a Chelsea shirt as he eventually rejoined Atletico Madrid for a fee said to be in the region of £53million in the following January transfer window.
The chances of a reunion on Sunday largely depend on what Mikel Arteta does with his Arsenal team selection as Holding hasn't played a single minute since the 4-1 loss against Manchester City last month with Jakub Kiwior and Benjamin White both preferred over him to partner Gabriel Magalhaes in recent weeks.
Even if the 'rivalry' isn't renewed, it could be Costa's final goodbye to English football. Out of contract at Wolves next month after signing a short-term deal last September, as spotted by some eagle-eyed supporters, the Spaniard's Instagram posts from earlier in the week seem to suggest he will be leaving.
With four goals in seven appearances against Arsenal - including the winner for Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in January 2016 - the hope from the home side's point of view is that the 34-year-old doesn't end his Premier League career by having the last laugh.
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