Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says Chelsea striker Fernando Torres deserved to be sent off for diving in Sunday’s controversial 3-2 win over the Blues on Sunday.
The Spanish striker was dismissed for a second bookable offence with the scores at 2-2 after Chelsea had come from two goals down following an early own goal and Robin van Persie’s strike.
Chelsea had pulled it back thanks to Juan Mata and then Ramires but lost Branislav Ivanovic to a red card, before Torres’ harsh dismissal. Down to nine men, the Red Devils won it through Javier Hernandez’s late strike which appeared offside.
However, Ferguson said he felt the referee’s decision for Torres’ dismissal was fair.
“Well, did he intend to dive? Jonny Evans may have caught him a little bit but you can carry on running, which he could’ve done,” Ferguson said.
“But he chose to go down. He could’ve carried on and scored. That’s what I can’t understand.
“I would’ve never missed that chance. I would’ve taken it in my time. I would’ve never gone down. But he did go down – that’s the issue – and he’s already been booked. So it’s his own fault.”
Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo said he had no concerns about his side falling into a slump after their first league defeat of the season.
“I didn’t see any struggle in our team,” he said. “We know we have a good and strong team. We just have to ride this moment.”