Mourinho at it again as United lose
‘‘The Special One’’ may not be so special to Chelsea fans anymore, but Jose Mourinho certainly hasn’t lost any of his cheek.
Sacked by Chelsea at the end of 2015, the Manchester United manager returned to Stamford Bridge for just the second time since that dismissal as the two heavyweight English clubs squared off in the FA Cup quarterfinals yesterday.
Despite leading Chelsea to seven major titles during his time at the club, Mourinho was far from immune to abuse from the home fans. After he reacted to a foul on Eden Hazard by claiming Chelsea’s attacking midfielder should be booked for diving, the Stamford Bridge faithful let Mourinho have it. Chants of ‘‘Judas’’ rang out from the section behind the Manchester United dug out, but it is unlikely the fans had accounted for the 54-year-old Portuguese manager’s witty response.
Mourinho turned and showed three fingers to the crowd, before pointing towards the pitch, clearly referencing the three Premier League titles he won during his two stints in charge of Chelsea.
The United boss wasn’t shying away from interaction with Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte, the two having to be separated during the first half as the latter expressed his displeasure at tackles made by the visitors.
It was Conte, though, who ended the match the happier of the pair as Chelsea prevailed 1-0 thanks to a strike from N’golo Kante early in the second half.
Chelsea will face London rivals Tottenham in the semifinals next month while Arsenal will play Manchester City.