Jose Mourinho has made his feelings towards Michael Oliver very clear in the wake of Erik Lamela’s red card in the north London derby.
The official was involved in a very controversial decision at the weekend, giving Lamela a second yellow card and dismissing him against the Gunners, and while Mourinho wasn’t best pleased with that decision, he didn’t cast aspersions on Oliver’s ability to officiate big games.
“Let me make it clear, Michael is a very good referee. Despite me being normally very unlucky with him, I have no problem with him being my referee for the next game. He’s a good referee and just unlucky in his decisions with me. Clearly one of the best referees in the league and Europe,” Mourinho said in his pre-match press conference.
Normally, managers would avoid speaking about an official after a game, especially in the wake of such a controversial decision, but Mourinho has happily gone on the record to speak about Oliver.
Most managers would be bitter after a decision goes against them, but the Spurs boss has been able to give an unbiased view on the referee.
Referees in this country are far too often blamed for their mistakes and not praised when they do a good job, and it’s good to see Oliver getting a bit of credit here.
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