Rare ref praise from Chelsea boss
Mourinho
tribalfooball.com - November 26, 2006
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was satisfied with the point his team
earned in their 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
Mourinho was delighted with his side's comeback after the interval
- which he believes could have given his side the mental edge
following Louis Saha's opening goal.
"To go to the end of the season with a difference of six points
maximum is the reality of the Premiership and the reality between
two big teams," Mourinho predicted.
"For me the surprise is what we did last season, with 10 or 12
points difference. For me, this is not a surprise - but I think we
are ready and we can go all the way.
"The good thing for me was the mental point of view. We came here
and go home with the same distance. No way would a six-point gap
kill the Premiership with five months to go, but six and three is a
difference."
Mourinho revealed he spoke to Ferguson at the final whistle, and
the pair agreed a draw was a fair result from a tight game of great
intensity.
He added: "I think the result is deserved, because in the first
half they were the best team and they scored - and in the second
half Chelsea were best team.
"When the game had finished I exchanged quick words with Sir Alex
and we agreed the result was very, very fair.
"What was wrong in the first half was maybe the mental aspect of
the game, and we were waiting for things to happen. We did not show
a lot of ambition, but it looks like a new game in the second
half."
Mourinho also had rare words of praise for referee Howard Webb, who
controlled the most high-profile game of the season with efficiency
and ensured there were no major incidents.
Mourinho added: "My feeling is he had a good game - which for a
young referee is good.
"A very bad game could push him down and a very good game could
push him up, so it is very good for him."
