Mourinho blasts Hunt over Cech head injury

STEPHEN HUNT had waited 26 years to realise his dream of starting a Premiership game; within as many seconds of its kick-off he had also achieved notoriety.

Not long after a final whistle blast that confirmed nine-man Chelsea had overcome ten-man Reading, the winger from Waterford was in the dock as Jose Mourinho engaged in trial by television.

Hunt didn’t have to be smuggled out of a Madejski Stadium side-door with a blanket over his head but Judge Jose had certainly pronounced him guilty and the former Brentford player, unlikely to have loomed too largely on the Special One’s radar before Saturday, found himself having to issue a tersely worded, and heavily vetted, statement of denial before the evening was out.

The Hunt affair — a late arrival of his knee on the head of Petr Cech in the first minute — was just one of many extraordinary episodes on an evening where stoppage time threatened to top the 90-minute mark itself.

The champions left Berkshire with three points but minus both goalkeepers. Carlo Cudicini, Cech’s fifth-minute replacement, joined him in the hospital ward having been pole-axed in second-half stoppage time by Ibrahima Sonko, a defender as solid as his name suggests. Both men left the field on a stretcher. Both men lost consciousness at some point.

An eccentrically infuriating performance from referee Mike Riley, who sent off Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel, another full debutant at this level, and home substitute Andre Bikey, added spice to an occasion that saw Chelsea players cavorting topless on the final whistle as if they hadretained the Premiership.

But then again, perhaps this really will turn out to be a significant result.

Manchester United, currently ahead only on goal difference, had failed to win here; indeed, everyone for 14 months had as Steve Coppell’s side clocked up a 31-game unbeaten sequence in front of their own fans. Last month, United had been forced to accept a point from a 1-1 draw when Kevin Doyle squeezed home a penalty. This time the Republic of Ireland striker hit the frame of the same goal when presented with his only clear chance of the game following some worthy persistence and trickery from Hunt.

Yes, the boy can play too but Mourinho was still waiting for him afterwards, verbally if not physically. Hunt was “out of his head, out of his shape”, the challenge was a “disgrace”, Cech was “lucky to be alive”. Another crime was “laughing about it afterwards”.

Coppell denied his player the right to reply although a statement did emerge from the bowels of the Madejski Stadium in due course. “I was 100% intent on winning the ball, ” it read.

“I hope Petr Cech is not too badly hurt and I hope he makes a full recovery as soon as possible.”

His manager was alsoprepared to play thepercentage game. Coppell knew “100% for sure” there had been no intent, adding correctly that referee Riley had been a close witness and had not even issued a yellow card.

Words had been exchanged when Hunt repositioned himself near the dugouts but Mourinho’s accusation of callous laughter was rejected.

“He wouldn’t be able to understand Hunty even if he had said something,” Coppell ventured.

Opta Fact: Chelsea have scored the opening goal of the game in each of their eight Premiership games this season and are the only team to have been leading at some stage in each of their matches this campaign.