Since beating Aston Villa 2-0 on October 17, Chelsea had been crushed by West Ham, Liverpool and Stoke City to abandon them sixteenth in the top flight.
Then again, Costa ended his own infertile keep running of 603 minutes without an objective in all rivalries to lift Chelsea spirits at Stamford Bridge.
Both groups had opportunities to go in front amid an open first half, with each having a claim for a punishment turned around arbitrator Craig Pawson.
It looked bound to be another baffling day at the workplace for Chelsea until Costa profited by some snappy deduction from Cesc Fabregas to send his side in front following 64 minutes.
The outcome sees Chelsea move above Norwich into fifteenth and supervisor Jose Mourinho will trust it denote the start of an upturn in structure.
Mourinho gave Kenedy a first Premier League begin as both supervisors rolled out three improvements and it was Chelsea who had the better of the early risks – Fabregas scooping over from short proximity taking after an Eden Hazard reduction before John Terry occupied only wide from a corner.
Nathan Redmond delivered the first shot on target when he drew a recovery from Asmir Begovic with an intense drive from a tight point, while Willian tried John Ruddy at the flip side after an undermining keep running from Hazard.
Redmond was conveyed in a new focal assaulting part and was necessary to a move that finished with Dieumerci Mbokani lifting a shot over the crossbar from the edge of the crate following 20 minutes.
Costa neglected to hold his exertion down after a smooth passing move from the hosts, before Willian went down under the test of Jonny Howson in the crate.
Replays affirmed the Norwich midfielder's honesty – pulling off a radiant test to seize the Brazilian – and Willian was fortunate to abstain from giving endlessly a spot-kick at the flip side when he cut down Robbie Brady minutes after the fact.
Chelsea wound up under weight in the end phases of the first half, yet Ruddy must be cognizant to redirect wide a Costa strike taking after a quick counter-assault.
Kurt Zouma ought to have improved when he volleyed over from a corner right on time in the second period, before Fabregas constrained Ruddy into a jumping recovery with a low drive.
Be that as it may, Chelsea's industriousness paid off when Fabregas' immediately taken free-kick over the highest point of the Norwich barrier discovered Costa, who kept his cool to twist a shot around Ruddy.
Zouma could have twofold the favorable position when he headed against the crossbar from a free-kick before long, while a furious Brady strike – touched wide by Begovic – shaped some portion of a restricted second-half assaulting risk for Norwich.
Reddish kept out Nemanja Matic as Chelsea guaranteed the focuses, with fans droning Mourinho's name in a show of backing for their under-weight administrator, whose next Premier League test comes at Tottenham in e
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