Lucas Leiva risks infuriating Jose Mourinho by praising referee Mark Clattenburg after Liverpool beat Chelsea
The Brazilian midfielder was fortunate not to be shown a red card
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Lucas Leiva has risked infuriating Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho by praising the performance of referee Mark Clattenburg after escaping a red card during Liverpool's victory at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian midfielder had already been booked when he made a foul arguably worthy of another yellow card.
Clattenburg opted only to award a free-kick, despite the obvious frustrations of Mourinho on the touchline and the Chelsea players who surrounded him.
The match was level 1-1 at the time, with Liverpool going on to win the match 3-1.
"(It) will probably be talked about. It's normal, especially when you lose a game," Lucas told Liverpool TV.
"Sometimes in my position you make fouls, more to stop the game. I think it was a good decision from the referee, he controlled the game very well.
"Other situations as well with the Chelsea players he dealt (with) really well.
"I think it was a fair game. People will say this could change this game. In the end we were the better team."
Mourinho opted not to speak about Clattenburg in the aftermath of the match, wary of triggering further disciplinary action from the FA having already been in trouble this season. However his anger could not be disguised during his post-match interviews.
“What do you think?" Mourinho said when asked about the Lucas foul. "You are not punished by the FA. I’m punished if I tell you."
Liverpool were a goal behind after four minutes when Ramires headed in, but the response was impressive, with Philippe Coutinho scoring twice and Christian Benteke coming off the substitutes' bench to net a third.
"The last few months showed if we concede our body language wasn't the best," Lucas added.
"After the Southampton game the manager spoke to us and said 'you can't think too much about a goal if you concede, you just need to get back in the game'.
"That's what we did. The goal came at the right time for us, just before half-time, but even first half I thought we were the better team.
"It's still a lot of things to improve, but it's better improving and winning."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments