Mourinho’s penalty claims wide of the mark

JOSE MOURINHO’S assertion that Manchester United are favoured over Chelsea when it comes to penalty decisions is one that has further ignited the Premiership title race between the two sides.

The truth, however, is that in the Mourinho-era Alex Ferguson’s side have been awarded fewer penalties and conceded more than their rivals from London.

This season United have conceded four penalties, three of them at Old Trafford, while Chelsea have given away just two — both in away games.

At the other end of the pitch, United have been given five spot-kicks so far, just one more than the Blues.

In the two previous Premiership campaigns Chelsea were awarded more penalties than United and conceded only one more than the Red Devils.

Anyone looking for a conspiracy would not find much evidence here.

If anything, it seems that Stamford Bridge is the place where the officials rarely give the away side a penalty kick as there have been only two awarded to the visitors since Jose Mourinho was appointed.

The Portuguese tactician’s ire should perhaps be directed at Arsenal, for it is the Gunners who have been given 20 penalties in the past three seasons, while Champions League semi-final opponents Liverpool have conceded only four in that period.

Meanwhile Ferguson has responded to Mourinho’s weekend penalty jibe by claiming John O’Shea touched the ball when he felled Middlesbrough’s Lee Dong-Gook at Old Trafford on Saturday.

After seeing that challenge go unpunished, and another by Gabriel Heinze on Luton Shelton in Manchester United’s defeat of Sheffield United last Tuesday, Mourinho blew his top when referee Mark Halsey refused to give Chelsea a spot-kick when Stephen Carr appeared to handle Salomon Kalou’s cross at St James’ Park yesterday.

However Ferguson argued strongly yesterday that O’Shea’s tackle was fair.

“I have looked at Saturday’s incident and O’Shea definitely got the ball, there is no doubt about it,” said the Scot.