José Mourinho accused Antonio Conte of trying to humiliate him as he endured his worst defeat in English football on his return to Chelsea, and tensions spilled over into the tunnel post-match as back-room staff members of both clubs clashed.
Manchester United conceded after just 30 seconds to Pedro Rodríguez and succumbed 4-0 at Stamford Bridge, potentially losing their centre-half Eric Bailly to a serious knee injury en route, with Mourinho berating his team’s “incredible mistakes” at the back. The Portuguese had been infuriated by Conte’s attempts to whip up the home support after N’Golo Kanté scored Chelsea’s fourth goal, and confronted his opposite number as they shook hands at the final whistle.
Mourinho, speaking in Italian, appeared to tell Conte he should behave like that “at 1-0, not at 4-0”, and suggested he had actually been seeking to humiliate him in front of his former fans.
Conte denied that had been his motivation, explaining post?match that he had simply been seeking to generate a positive reaction from the crowd after his team’s most impressive performance to date under his stewardship.
However, when a member of the United coaching staff ignored Conte’s outstretched hand as they turned to retreat down the tunnel, it provoked a heated argument with a member of the Italian’s own back-room team.
Both managers chose not to elaborate on their post-match conversation to the media, but neither denied the version of events, picked up on Italian television, when it was put to them. “I think that a private conversation must remain private,” Conte said. “If someone discover something, OK … but for me the private conversation remains private.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.