Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho indicated that he was unhappy with
referee Phil Dowd after his side were denied all three points by a
94th-minute Robin van Persie equaliser for Manchester United in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
The Premier League leaders had gone in front when Didier Drogba,
deputising for the injured Diego Costa, headed home a corner early in
the second half.
But after Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic had been sent off for a second yellow card following a foul on Angel Di Maria, Van Persie slammed home a rebound from the free-kick to level.
Mourinho made it clear he was unhappy with that decision and also
felt Chelsea should have had a first-half penalty when Ivanovic went to
the ground under a Chris Smalling challenge from a first-half corner.
"The red card, I could see it coming," he said. "If I have to speak
about the second yellow I have to speak about lots of things -- the
penalty that Ivanovic should have been given, the accumulation of yellow
cards, the throw-ins. I know I speak always with my heart and get in
trouble."
But he praised his team for a second-half performance that had seemed
increasingly likely to bring all three points, saying: "For me as a
coach it's not fair to speak about Didier [Drogba], because my team was
fantastic. They were brilliant.
"The second half was much better. From the start of the first half, we showed we wanted to win.
"In the second half, we didn't give them chances they wanted. To come
here to Old Trafford the way we did -- it was fantastic by my boys."
After a weekend that saw both Manchester City, who lost at West Ham, and Liverpool, held at home by Hull, drop points, Mourinho said: "We don't look to others, we look to ourselves.
"Old Trafford is one most dangerous fixtures we have had. The result
is not the result we want, but the way we performed means we don't need
to look to others.
"After nine matches, we are top of the league with four points
difference. We have also played away at Manchester United and Manchester
City."
