• Premier League

Villas-Boas lodges Old Trafford complaint

ESPNsoccernet staff
September 20, 2011
Chris Smalling's opener for Manchester United against Chelsea should not have stood © PA Photos
Enlarge

Andre Villas-Boas has complained to referees' chief Mike Riley about the performance of the officials in Chelsea's Premier League defeat at Manchester United.

Chelsea fell 2-0 behind at Old Trafford last Sunday to goals which replays showed should not have stood as both scorers were in offside positions when the ball was played, with United eventually running out 3-1 winners.

Villas-Boas said on Tuesday: "Very, very unhappy with a poor performance from the referees, which in the end had a decisive role in the result, and I don't take it very, very lightly.

"You expect the linesman to do his job. I already went further ahead with the situation by speaking to the correct people. We all feel very, very down that the referee had such an impact on the result.''

Chelsea were also let down by their own wastefulness in front of goal, with Fernando Torres producing arguably one of the worst misses in Premier League history, but Villas-Boas refused to comment on his £50 million striker's state of mind.

"It's not a question about an individual player," said Villas-Boas, who also defended Frank Lampard. "I'm very, very happy with how the team responded. Everybody is strong and with the correct frame of mind.''

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices