The blue side of Manchester came out with all three points as Manchester City put the hosts to the sword with a 2-1 win. However, United manager Jose Mourinho is never short of controversies and this time has taken a dig at match referee Mark Clattenburg for apparently denying them two clear penalties.
Both the penalty shouts were decent ones and could have gone either way. But referee Mark Clattenburg waved down both of them, much to the frustration of the Old Trafford faithful, and especially Jose Mourinho.
The first appeal came in the 57th minute when the Chilean Claudio Bravo tried to dribble away from United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A poor touch sent the ball in the direction of Wayne Rooney. Eager to recover the situation, Bravo rushed towards the ball, lunging in recklessly.
However, despite going in with a two-footed, studs up challenge, a touch on the ball proved to be enough to prevent Bravo from getting into trouble with Clattenburg, whose view could have been obstructed as Rooney lay on the ground clutching his leg.
Regarding that challenge, Mourinho said, “It was a penalty and a red card for (Claudio) Bravo. For sure outside the box it is a free-kick and a red card. Inside the box it has to be the same, but obviously even the best referees make mistakes.”
The second shout came later on in the second half as Antonio Valencia’s attempted cross struck Nicolas Otamendi on the elbow while he was in the box. But the Argentine had spun away from the cross and had no intention of handling the ball.
Contemplating on that incident, Mourinho said, “The second one, (Nicolas) Otamendi, I think it’s a penalty. You can tell me you think he has no intention. I think he has intention, because even though the arm is behind his body, he knows the cross is not going in his face, it’s going in his back.”
“We are very disappointed with the result, but I am very disappointed with two decisions of Mark,” Mourinho further added.
However, this does not hide the fact it was a rather subdued performance from the Red Devils, though they did rally towards the end.
With the win, City consolidate their position at the top of the table, going three points clear of United.
