Mourinho refuses to discuss Courtois red card after Blues draw

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho refused to discuss the controversial dismissal of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 2-2 opening-day draw with Swansea.

Chelsea led 2-1 at the break, but Courtois was sent off for bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis seven minutes in to the second half and Gomis converted the resulting penalty to earn a point for his team.

“I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to speak about the red cards,” Mourinho said when asked about the Courtois incident and referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to award a first-half penalty for a lunging challenge on Diego Costa by Federico Fernandez.

“It is just because it is the first game so I can control myself. I want to react this way so you don’t say in day one that I opened my mouth.

“We moved the ball very, very well and I was very happy with what we did in the first half.

“In the second, in one minute, it was a penalty, red card and 2-2. If you have 10 men and are winning you can defend well and try to find a strategy but to play with 10 men and try to win the game is more difficult. At 2-2 it changed everything.

“When you have one player less and you try to win you expose yourself.”

Mourinho also revealed that Courtois, who will now face a suspension meaning Asmir Begovic will deputise, suffered a slight injury before the match and needed treatment

“He had a little knock,” Mourinho confirmed when asked about the Belgian goalkeeper and if he would consider an appeal.

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