Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho refused to discuss the controversial dismissal of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 2-2 opening-day draw with Swansea.
Chelsea led 2-1 at the break, but Courtois was sent off for bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis seven minutes in to the second half and Gomis converted the resulting penalty to earn a point for his team.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to speak about the red cards,” Mourinho said when asked about the Courtois incident and referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to award a first-half penalty for a lunging challenge on Diego Costa by Federico Fernandez.
“It is just because it is the first game so I can control myself. I want to react this way so you don’t say in day one that I opened my mouth.
“We moved the ball very, very well and I was very happy with what we did in the first half.
“In the second, in one minute, it was a penalty, red card and 2-2. If you have 10 men and are winning you can defend well and try to find a strategy but to play with 10 men and try to win the game is more difficult. At 2-2 it changed everything.
“When you have one player less and you try to win you expose yourself.”
Mourinho also revealed that Courtois, who will now face a suspension meaning Asmir Begovic will deputise, suffered a slight injury before the match and needed treatment
“He had a little knock,” Mourinho confirmed when asked about the Belgian goalkeeper and if he would consider an appeal.
Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook
This post was last modified on 09/08/2015