Chelsea tops Liverpool, Mourinho says Suarez shows ‘wild nature’
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Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto’o scored first-half goals as Chelsea came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over title rival Liverpool in the English Premier League on Sunday.
The game ended controversially with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez being obstructed in the penalty area in the 82nd minute but referee Howard Webb dismissed appeals for a penalty.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho described it as Suarez’s “wild nature.”
“Suarez lost the duel with Azpilicueta, Azpilicueta has the ball, Azpilicueta is leaving the box with the ball, and now he (Suarez) is doing an acrobatic swimming pool jump to try to get a penalty,” said Mourinho.
“He (Suarez) is a very nice boy, he does everything to win and Brendan (Rodgers) is doing a fantastic job on him, because he’s changed.
“...But when the situation is like this, and you are losing, comes the nature of the player, the wild nature of the player or the cultural nature of the player.
“Culturally, people from that area (Uruguay), they like it. But it’s not only that area — there is a corner in Europe where I belong to (Portugal) that they also like it,” he added.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers would not be drawn into a battle of words with Mourinho, with whom he worked as a youth coach during the Portuguese’s first stint at Chelsea between 2004 and 2007.
However, he felt Eto’o should have been sent off for a knee-high early foul on Jordan Henderson, which yielded a free-kick from which Martin Skrtel put Liverpool ahead in the fourth minute.
“Let’s talk about the first Eto’o incident, when he should have been sent off,” Rodgers said.
“I know we scored from it but that was a wild challenge where he’s come right down his knee and down his shin, and didn’t even get a yellow card.”
Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike and Eto’o gave Mourinho’s team a decisive lead from Oscar’s back pass in the 34th.
Third-place Chelsea trails leader Arsenal by two points and Manchester City by one point. Liverpool is six points adrift after slipping to a second consecutive loss.
Hazard was splendid throughout in his playmaker role, while Chelsea’s defenders did a good job of containing Suarez, who was reunited with Branislav Ivanovic for the first time since he bit the Serbian defender on the arm last season and was banned for 10 games.
“The kid is giving everything,” Mourinho said about Hazard. “He was a very talented player, but he was a kid enjoying football in a funny way. Now he understands his responsibilities. I’m so happy with the kid.”
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