If West Brom had launched a comeback and Salomon Rondon had scored an equaliser, we somehow doubt Jose Mourinho would be quite as composed about the centre-forward’s booking.
Rondon was shown a yellow card midway through the second half after he clashed with Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo.
Rojo, in the news recently due to a pair of two-footed challenges against Everton and Crystal Palace, found himself on the receiving end of a gentle slap from Rondon in the the 65th minute of United’s 2-0 victory at the Hawthorns on Saturday evening.
The Argentine didn’t make a meal of it but teammate Phil Jones instantly reacted and demanded that referee Anthony Taylor take action.
Rather than dismiss Rondon for raising his hand to an opponent, the official instead gave both Rojo and Rondon a yellow card apiece.
And that was a decision that United boss Mourinho completely agreed with as he explained how a red card could have ruined what was a competitive game of football.
“I think the referee did fine. The game was correct. The game was physical. Big guys, big strong guys. They are very physical,” Mourinho said after the game, in quotes appearing in Manchester Evening News.
“We are not so physical but we tried to cope with that. Why a red card for Rondon? I agree with a yellow card.
“Yellow card and go again. Sometimes I think it’s better for the referee to keep control of the game. The game is 11 versus 11. I’m happy with the decision.”
