Chelsea's £50m loss signals end to big spending as club looks to meet Uefa's Financial Fair Play guidelines

Jose Mourinho accused Luis Suárez of showing his “wild” side and diving as though he had been ‘shot in the back’ to try to win a late penalty against Chelsea.

And Mourinho has also claimed there is an anti-Chelsea bias among the former players and managers who are pundits on television.

Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, raced down the touchline, shouting and pointing at Suárez after the striker went down claiming Samuel Eto’o had barged him in the back. However, referee Howard Webb did not give a penalty.

“Suárez lost that duel with Azpilicueta, Eto’o comes in, and it looks like somebody shot him [Suarez] in the back,” Mourinho said. “For me that is a clear yellow card.”

“I’m always happy when I see Suárez play because I love the player, his quality, commitment, ambition to play,” said Mourinho. “But this country is a special country. I’m not English, not British, but I feel I have also responsibility in defending some values in this football

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One of the things we have good is we don’t like simulation. This situation in the box, with Azpilicueta and Eto’o, stop this or give Suárez yellow card. It’s not good for our game.

“Azpilicueta had the ball, he was leaving the box with the ball and now Suárez is doing an acrobatic swimming pool jump to try and get the penalty because he’s so clever he knows he’s in the penalty area with the Liverpool supporters behind. Webb is 10 metres away and the only mistake he made was not giving him a yellow card.

“I think the player is amazing. Amazing. He’s a very nice boy. I know him from his time at Ajax. He does everything to win and Brendan has done a very good job with him because he’s changed. No doubt.

“He’s changed. But when you are losing, the nature comes out of the player. The wild nature, the cultural nature of the player. Culturally, people from that area, they like it. Not just that area. There’s a corner in Europe, where I belong too, where they like that [makes diving signal].”

When it was put to Mourinho that it looked like a penalty on television, he replied: “There are lots of people on TV, but nobody is a Chelsea man. Carragher, Liverpool. Thompson, Liverpool. Redknapp, Liverpool. Neville, Manchester United. We don’t have one. When I retire, 75 years old, I go as a pundit to defend Chelsea on television.”

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claimed Eto’o should not even have been on the pitch to challenge Suárez and that he should have been sent off long before his goal for a late tackle on Jordan Henderson that led to Martin Skrtel’s opener.

“Let’s talk about the first Eto’o incident, when he should have been sent off,” Rodgers said. “I know we scored from it, but that was a wild shank where he’s come down his knee and shin and didn’t even get a yellow card. That’s the first wild challenge.

“The second one, Luis will always provoke a challenge from defenders in the box. That’s why he’s world-class. What he wouldn’t expect is it coming from somebody off the ball. He blocks him. That could have been a penalty on another day as obstruction in the area. But he [Jose Mourinho] will defend his players. I will defend mine.”

Chelsea’s 2-1 victory meant they will go into the new year just two points behind leaders Arsenal. But Mourinho continues to insist Manchester City, who are a point ahead of his side, are clear title favourites.

“I keep thinking there is a big difference between Manchester City and the other teams,” said Mourinho. “Not just about quality, because other teams have quality. We have quality too. But quality, maturity, numbers of players, a group of strikers, physicality, experience, age, no young players, no old players, just players in the best stage of their careers.

“For me, they are the favourites. For us, Arsenal and Liverpool to be around I think is a good achievement. In our case, it’s important that people learn how to play these matches. People know they have to give everything on the pitch and learn to play under pressure.”

Having topped the table on Christmas Day, Liverpool will go into the new year fifth but Rodgers remains delighted with the progress of his side.

“We had to play the same team in the last two games,” Rodgers said. “Look at City rotating seven players. But that’s where we’re at. We’ve been fortunate to keep players fit up to now, but we’re unlucky to play two of the best squads in the league back to back.

“Over this year, we’ve shown that if we get the players back and get some help and players back in January, we’ll be in the shake-up. If we can add to it and get some depth, that’ll really help you in the second half of the season when you need it.

“I think it’s open. I’m looking forward to the fact we play every big team apart from United at home. We’ve had to play all of them away from home. Now Anfield’s a tough place to come. I think it’s very much open. Christmas Day, eating our turkey, we were top of the league. A few days later we’re fifth. It makes it really exciting.