Mourinho's disciple follows his lead: Arbeloa attacks the refereeing and accuses it of protecting Manchester United
A disappointing draw
Álvaro Arbeloa aimed a pointed dig at Premier League referees after his Fulham side drew with Manchester United, suggesting officials do not want to see the Red Devils lose. Victory had slipped from his team's grasp in the final minutes at Craven Cottage.
A friend and former pupil of José Mourinho, Arbeloa vented his frustration at the referee's decisions during the press conference. The "Daily Mail" suggested his comments could land him in trouble with the Football Association.
At the heart of his anger was a foul by Harry Maguire that went unpunished around 35 seconds before Manchester United's equaliser. Arbeloa felt the decision shaped the outcome of a match Fulham had been on the brink of winning for the first time this season.
"We were very close, but bad luck faced us again," Arbeloa said. "We knew the match would be difficult against a big team, but we saw what the referee did during the game."
His tone then sharpened. "Everything went in their favour. Just look at the Harry Maguire situation. Almost every decision came in Manchester United's favour. After the Manchester City match, I realised that they don't like Manchester United losing."
Disappointment aside, the Fulham manager stood by his players. "We were very close to achieving our first win, so we feel a little disappointed, but I think we put in a good performance."
"The match wasn't easy for us, especially as we were in last place, but we showed strong character in possession and we were brave," he explained. "We had to defend for some periods, but overall we put in a good performance."
Life under Arbeloa has been a struggle so far. Fulham are still chasing a first Premier League win, having picked up just two points from their opening five matches to sit in the relegation zone.
Arbeloa signed off by pointing to the fixture list. "We now have to achieve the first win. And if we look at our opening five matches, we find that we faced Manchester United and Chelsea, and we also played at Anfield against Liverpool and at Sunderland's stadium."
