Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has issued another heated appraisal of Barclays Premier League match officials, insisting referee Mike Dean's wrongly-awarded penalty in the 1-1 draw with Southampton denied his side an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
The Stamford Bridge boss was fined £25,000 for saying there was a "clear campaign" against his side after Cesc Fabregas was denied a penalty and booked for diving in the December 28 draw at St Mary's, and was frustrated Nemanja Matic was penalised - allowing Dusan Tadic to score from the spot and cancel out Diego Costa's first Premier League goal for almost two months.
Branislav Ivanovic, meanwhile, was not awarded a spot kick at the other end ¬- to the bemusement of the Portuguese coach.
"I'm happy with the situation. I'm happy with the six-point lead, but I'm not happy with the result," Mourinho said. "If you remember our two matches against Southampton: in one game, one penalty that is not a penalty and in another game a penalty that was not given. You are speaking about six points transformed into two points.
"My opinion is not important. Important is Mr Mike Dean. His decision was a penalty and his decision was no penalty on Ivanovic."
Mourinho was told television pundit Graeme Souness - with whom he had a public exchange of views this week after the Scot criticised Chelsea's conduct in the Champions League exit to Paris St Germain - thought Matic had conceded a penalty.
"Graeme Souness says also that it's more a reason to criticise a player who asks for a yellow card than a player who kicks somebody in the chest," Mourinho added. "I went to Sky and they told me their pundits said it's a penalty. I went to BBC and they told me it's not a penalty. I went to the radios and they told me it's not a penalty.
"Pundits are paid to wear my suit, but I'm not paid to wear their suit or to comment on their comments. If one day I become a pundit, I will wear a manager's suit. I will win every game, because pundits win every game, and then I can be critical and I can be phenomenal like they are."
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, meanwhile, was "very pleased" with his side's display.
"To get a good result against them you need luck, you need a great goalkeeper, you need great organisation in a team and we had that," Koeman said.
"(I am) proud of the team. That gives a very good feeling."
The Dutchman felt Saints - for whom Mane and goalkeeper Fraser Forster starred - deserved a spot kick, but refused to criticise Dean for not dismissing Matic early in the second half.
"In my opinion it's a penalty, yes," Koeman added.
"It's difficult jobs for referees. (Matic on Mane) is a foul that maybe can be a yellow card and that means his second one.
"It's always difficult. I'm not supporting referees showing eight, nine, 10 yellow cards every game.
"In my opinion the referee did a great job today."
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