Mourinho: City Deserved Reds  (Sky Sports)

Manchester City should have been reduced to nine men during their comprehensive victory over Chelsea, according to Jose Mourinho.

The champions suffered a 3-0 loss at the Etihad after a first-half goal from Sergio Aguero and late strikes by Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho.

But Mourinho believes Fernandinho should have been shown a straight red for a first-half elbow on Chelsea striker Diego Costa and Yaya Toure should have been sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Juan Cuadrado in the closing stages.

“Probably they should have finished the game with nine men because in my opinion Fernandinho should be a red card,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.

“And in minutes 80-something, again out of the context of the game, but Yaya Toure makes a clear second foul. So, a second yellow card.

“But their second and third goal I can also say that it is my players' mistake and if you are punished by your players’ mistakes you deserve to be punished.

“In the end I have to be happy with the second half we did because it is not easy to be losing 1-0 and play the way we did in the second half.”

After slumping to their lowest points tally after two games since the 1998/99 season, Mourinho said the scoreline flattered last season’s Premier League runners up, who replaced Raheem Sterling with Martin Demichelis before their second goal.

“The best team in the first half won the game,” Mourinho added.

“The best team in the second half was Chelsea, for sure. We had a difficult first half when they were the best team. Our goalkeeper made a few important saves.

“In the second half everything was different. If the 1-0 was doubtful, the 3-0 is completely fake because at 1-0 Chelsea is the best team in the second half and we had a big chance to equalise.

“They make a change because they feel the 1-0 is in danger. They take off an attacking player to put on a central defender or defensive midfielder.

“It was exactly at that moment that we conceded the second goal. The third goal is even more out of context.

“It is a defensive change but it is an intelligent change; the kind of change that people criticise me for all the time. I disagree. I disagree because to me it was an intelligent change to bring some security because their midfield was in trouble.”