Rojo in Hazard stamp row amid Jose-Conte feud
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MANCHESTER United defender Marcos Rojo could face a Football Association charge for what appeared to be a stamp on Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard during an explosive English FA Cup quarterfinal.
The 26-year-old Argentinian — who had been involved in feisty exchanges with Chelsea striker Diego Costa throughout the game — was caught on camera treading on Hazard’s chest in the second-half of Monday’s match which Chelsea won 1-0 to oust the holder.
United was already down to 10 men after Ander Herrera was sent off in the first half for a foul on the battered Hazard — the Spaniard getting his marching orders seconds after referee Michael Oliver had warned United captain Chris Smalling he had enough of the Belgian star being fouled.
Former England captain Alan Shearer thought Rojo should have been sent off.
“That is a stamp. It wouldn’t surprise me at all. He should have been sent off for that,” said Shearer, who was a pundit for the BBC covering the match.
Former England and United defender Phil Neville told the BBC he felt Rojo could face the type of retrospective action Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings had for stamping on United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their English Premier League match earlier this month. Mings received a five game ban.
“After what we saw last week at Old Trafford with Tyrone Mings, you’d think the FA will have a look at that,” said Neville.
Chelsea prevailed over Jose Mourinho’s forceful, spoiling tactics to set up a semifinal derby with Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea’s trip to Wembley Stadium was secured six minutes into the second half when N’Golo Kante switched from midfield enforcer to match-winner. Paul Pogba failed to close down France teammate Kante, who found the space to score from 20 meters and keep the EPL leader on course for a domestic double.
It’s rare for Kante to be in the scoring spotlight, although his only other goal since joining Chelsea last year came on United’s last visit to west London. Even with 10 men, Mourinho avoided the humiliation of October’s 0-4 league loss but only through an ultra-defensive display that saw United’s possession drop to a season-low of 28 percent.
And also, according to Chelsea, by targeting Hazard.
“For Hazard, (for) 20, 25 minutes it was impossible to play football, because he received only kicks,” Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said. “A tactic to play and go to kick an opponent? It’s not football for me.”
Conte was so wound up by the constant fouling he became embroiled in a touchline row with Mourinho that ended with the rivals being separated by the fourth official.
It was a chastening return to west London for Mourinho, who endured his old club’s fans calling him “Judas” and chanting “you’re not special anymore”.
Mourinho responded to the jibes by holding up three fingers to the crowd to remind them how many EPL titles he won in his two spells as Chelsea boss.
The other semifinal is: Arsenal versus Manchester City.
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