Di Matteo: Officials ruined Chelsea-Man Utd match
Football
By
- BBC
| Oct 29, 2012
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo says the officials "ruined" the game as the Blues slumped to their first Premier League defeat of the season against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres were both given red cards in the space of five minutes just after the hour in United's 3-2 win - with the Spaniard's dismissal for diving disputed by Chelsea.
United took advantage of Chelsea being reduced to nine men as Javier Hernandez scored a late winner from an offside position to leave Sir Alex Ferguson's side a point behind the league leaders.
"The second yellow card [shown to Torres] wasn't one and the decisive goal was offside," said Di Matteo.
"It is a shame a game like this had to be decided in that manner by officials. Surely when the referee watches it he will realise he has made big mistakes.
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"Fernando put the ball between Jonny Evans's legs and he was kicked on the shin and went down. Whatever way you want to see it that is our foul and a yellow card for their player, not ours."
David Luiz's own goal and a strike from Robin van Persie gave United an early two-goal lead but Chelsea levelled with strikes either side of half-time from Juan Mata and Ramires.
"We are massively disappointed because these kind of decisions are wrong," said Di Matteo. "I thought at 2-2 we looked like the team that was probably going to go on to win the game. They looked vulnerable.
"It is a shame because it was a good game of football with two good teams and the officials ruined it."
Manchester United manager Ferguson admitted his side rode their luck with Hernandez's winner, but believes Torres must shoulder the blame for his red card.
"We've never got breaks down here and had some terrible decisions against us in the last few years," he said.
"But today we have got a little break for the goal - Chicharito [Hernandez] may have been offside."
On Torres's second yellow card, he added: "I think Jonny Evans might have caught him. But the decision the referee has to make is whether the striker has chosen to go down.
"He was through on goal - I don't know why he has gone down. I think it's his own fault."
- BBC