Hull City manager Steve Bruce was not a happy man after his side lost 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
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Not because his team lost yet again and remain entrenched in the bottom three, but because he felt referee Chris Foy should have sent off Chelsea defender Gary Cahill when the Blues were 1-0 up and Hull still have 11-men before Tom Huddlestone was stupidly sent off.
In the first half Cahill made a crunching tackle on Hull’s Sone Aluko (pictured, right) which warranted a yellow card and then the Chelsea defender went down very easily in the box looking for a penalty kick as he dinked the ball between two defenders.
Bruce believed Cahill deserved a second yellow for diving -- Foy booked Chelsea’s Willian and Diego Costa for simulation during the match -- and that Chelsea not being reduced to 10-men was a pivotal moment in the game.“The referee shows his intent because he’s booked two players for diving and for me Cahill is lucky to be on the pitch for his first challenge,” Bruce said. “If he hasn’t dived there, then I don’t know what one is. We all know what he’s trying to do, he’s trying to get a penalty. The referee is 10 yards away and there’s no excuse. We need him to do his job otherwise it will keep rearing its ugly head. Unfortunately, from the first minute, Chris Foy had one of them awful afternoons.”
But Mourinho, who said he didn’t clearly see the incident involving Cahill or Huddlestone’s sending off, admits it would be very hard to believe the bulking center back took a dive.
“I don’t think Gary makes a simulation. I don’t believe that Gary makes a simulation,” Mourinho said. “If he dives, it was because he was in a sandwich with another two players who blocked his run or because somebody touched him. Gary to dive? I don’t believe.”