Manuel Pellegrini said he chose not to shake Jose Mourinho’s hand after the Chelsea manager celebrated Fernando Torres’ winner by running in front of the away benches and jumping into the home fans.
The City manager said he did not wish to speak about Mourinho, then added: “I didn’t expect anything else. It is a different way to celebrate from me.” Asked whether he had shaken hands with Mourinho he replied: “No, I didn’t shake hands. Because I didn’t want to.” Asked why, he said: “I repeat, I didn’t want to shake hands. I don’t want to say more.”
Later Mourinho said that if any offence was caused he would apologise but that he was trying to find his 14-year-old son in the seats behind the away dug-out in order to celebrate with him. Mourinho said: “Look, I think Chelsea is guilty because I want to buy a season ticket for my son, and they give them a season ticket behind the away dug-out. They have to change it. I went for him. I promise. I went for him. The next match you’ll see him there again.
“But this is the drama of the last year. I beat City in the last minute in Madrid, and I slid on my knees and destroyed the trousers. I lost [a lead] in the last minute against Bayern Munich and it was like somebody put a knife in my back and I didn’t see. This is the emotion. If they [City] believe my son is there, great. If they don’t believe, I apologise, if they feel I did something wrong.”
There was no public backing for Joe Hart from Pellegrini after the goalkeeper came out his area to clear Willian’s ball, only for Matija Nastasic to head it past him and let Torres in. Pellegrini said he would discuss the goal only with his players, a sharp contrast to the approach of his predecessor Roberto Mancini.
Pellegrini said: “From tomorrow, we are going to see the best way to arrange things. In the three games we lost away... we are losing stupid points, yes. The three defeats we had away we didn’t deserve, but the reality is we have lost them.
Mourinho said: “He [Pellegrini] lost the game in the last minute. I have sympathy with that. Many times, in other cultures and countries, we shake hands before the game and that’s enough. In Madrid normally I never did it, so I don’t feel it’s a lack of respect. If he was sad because of the result, I understand. If he thought I’d done something wrong celebrating there I accept that too.”
