Chelsea are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Man United's pursuit of a treble is over. This is the black and white of tonight's quarter-final, but there were plenty of different shades: red for Herrera the most dominant, but there were shades of gray surrounding most of referee Michael Oliver's decision.
While Herrera's red card was harsh, Marcos Rojo was fortunate not to be sent off for a stamp on Eden Hazard, while Antonio Valencia was lucky to escape red too, for a crunching tackle on Hazard.
The first half was marked by Chelsea fans taunting Mourinho, singing "Fuck Off Mourinho" and "Judas" at their former manager. He responded by raising three fingers, to remind them of the number of titles he won at Stamford Bridge.
Such a highly-charged game, along with the confluence of a poor United performance and the excuse of the refereeing decision teed up an all-time classic Mourinho press conference. He delivered....eventually.
Bizarrely, the press conference was interrupted early on by Fabio Capello using a hand dryer in the nearby toilets. We are used to a lot of bluster from Mourinho's press conference, but this is taking it too far...
A classic Mourinho press conference didn’t start well. Fabio Capello drowned it out by using the hand dryer in the gents next door #CHEMUN
— Ian Herbert (@ianherbs) March 13, 2017
Mourinho press conference delayed by the sound of a hand-dryer coming from a nearby toilet. Door opens. It's Fabio Capello.
— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) March 13, 2017
Mourinho sees him. "Mister!" he greets him. So now at least we know what one of those 100 words of English was.
— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) March 13, 2017
But after that interruption, the quotes fell from Mourinho's mouth:
Mourinho on Chelsea fans: "They can call what they want. I am a professional. I defend my club."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 13, 2017
Sorry Mourinho's line even more pointed: When they have somebody who wins four PLs for them, I'll be No2. For this moment, Judas is No1."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 13, 2017
Mourinho hails Mourinho: "I managed to control my emotions and that's good"
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) March 13, 2017
Mourinho: "If they win the Champions League last season, they could be in Europe, so not my fault."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 13, 2017
Elsewhere, in his BBC interview, Mourinho told Dan Walker he would not talk about the referee, before talking about him at great length. During said interview, he came out with one of his great backhanders:
Michael Oliver...a referee with fantastic potential.
See Also: "What Is The Point Of Pogba" - Reaction To United's Meek Cup Exit To Chelsea
