Mourinho forgives Hazard
london — Jose Mourinho praised Eden Hazard after the Belgian finished a difficult week by converting a hotly disputed 96th-minute penalty that prevented Chelsea from suffering a second successive Premier League defeat.
Hazard was disciplined after missing training this week, but he was restored to the line-up against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and struck the added-time equaliser that secured a 2-2 draw.
The 22-year-old had taken an unauthorised trip to France last Sunday and was delayed when he lost his passport, but Mourinho insists the matter is now closed.
“I don’t need to accept his apology. I don’t need to think any more about it,” he said.
“It was a big penalty. Penalties are easy to score in training sessions — I score — as they are when you’re winning 3-0 or 4-0. But this was a difficult one and the kid was very calm.”
West Brom manager Steve Clarke and his players were incensed by referee Andre Marriner’s decision to award a penalty when Ramires went down under a challenge from Steven Reid, and questioned how easily the Chelsea midfielder went to ground.
“I’m disappointed that a bad decision has cost us two points,” said Clarke, who was Mourinho’s assistant during the Portuguese’s first spell at Stamford Bridge.
“I’m flabbergasted at the decision. I can’t believe he gave it, but I can’t change it. I saw it at the time. I’ve been in the game a long time and I knew he was already on the way down before anyone was near him. The referee has to be 100 percent sure. How he can be 100 percent sure is beyond me.
“It’s the kind of penalty that can be given when you’ve got a home crowd shouting for everyone. Referees are only human and can make mistakes. It should have been a fantastic result for us, three points at Stamford Bridge, but it’s just a good result in the end.”
Mourinho refused to agree with his former colleague and insisted his own side had been the victims of an injustice in the build-up to Stephane Sessegnon’s 68th-minute goal. —