Featured Image Credit: PA/Alamy
Topics: AS Roma, Jose Mourinho, Sevilla, Europa League
Alex Brotherton
Topics: AS Roma, Jose Mourinho, Sevilla, Europa League
Gary Neville has deleted a tweet he posted criticising the behaviour of Jose Mourinho and his Roma players during the Europa League final.
On Wednesday night Mourinho found himself on the losing side in a European final for the first time in his managerial career.
It's fair to say he wasn't best pleased about it.
Advert
Roma fell to Europa League specialists Sevilla at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, losing 4-1 on penalties after a fractious 1-1 draw.
Although Roma started on the front foot and went ahead through a well-taken Paulo Dybala goal, Mourinho's side soon reverted to their usual gamesmanship tactics.
Sevilla equalised early in the second half through a Gianluca Mancini own goal but for the rest of the night the Italian side sought to get under the skin of their opponents in any way they could.
That included surrounding referee Anthony Taylor every time he gave a decision against them, and the coaching staff and substitutes constantly haranguing the fourth official.
Advert
Mourinho, as ever, was the ring leader, and his yellow card in extra-time was one of eight dished out to Roma.
Mourinho was incensed by a number of Taylor's decisions, including two penalty appeals that were waved away.
The shootout was won by Sevilla's Gonzalo Montiel, albeit at the second attempt. Rui Patricio saved the Argentine's spot-kick, but a retake was ordered by the VAR as the goalkeeper had stepped off his line.
That only heightened Mourinho's anger but Gary Neville had no sympathy for the former Manchester United boss.
Advert
At 7.39am on Thursday morning he tweeted: "Roma were a disgrace," in response to a video that emerged of Mourinho confronting Taylor in the stadium car park after the match.
Neville later deleted his tweet and has not posted anything else about the game.
Speaking to the media after the match, Mourinho didn't hold back in his criticism of English referee Taylor.
Advert
"Each of us react in a different way, one cries another doesn’t, but the truth is we are all very sad. We return dead tired, dead with feeling it is unjust," he told Sky Sports Italia.
"It was an intense, masculine, vibrant game with a referee who seemed Spanish. It was yellow, yellow, yellow all the time. "The injustice is shown by the fact [Erik] Lamela should’ve had a second yellow, he didn’t, and he converted a penalty in the shootout.
"What I said is we either leave here with the cup or we leave dead. Well, we’re dead. We’re dead tired physically, dead tired mentally, dead because we think it is an unjust defeat with lots of incidents that are debatable."