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It is little surprise Jose Mourinho has been sent off twice this season when you consider the multitude of refereeing howlers Manchester United have suffered.

The ludicrous Lee Mason became the latest official to irk United with his inexplicable decision to disallow Zlatan Ibrahimovic's acrobatic finish against Middlesbrough on New Year's Eve. It was not his only mistake in United's win and Mourinho took to laughing at the cock-ups, rather than crying.

Mourinho and United seem to have brought out the worst in referees this term and have been left aggrieved on numerous occasions in recent months...

United 1-2 City. Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Ander Herrera's and Marcus Rashford's half-time introductions had pegged back City after a listless first 40 minutes from United but a pulsating derby was marred by the calamitous Clattenburg's decision to ignore Claudio Bravo's dangerous challenge on Wayne Rooney.

The catastrophic Bravo miscontrolled a back-pass and lunged at Rooney inside his own penalty area. The foul was patent and merited a red card and penalty, yet Clattenburg did not raise his whistle and City won the game. The decision still rankles with Mourinho.

"I'm not speaking about the points against Manchester City that we lost and we shouldn't," he said just two weeks ago. "Because it was a penalty and a red card, and 2-2 and 30 more minutes to go."

Number of bad decisions against United: One

Feyenoord 1-0 United. Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano

Another defeat in which an official's error did not mask United's anaemic efforts, Nicolai Jorgensen was offside when he received the ball to cross for Tonny Vilhena to strike the winner in Mourinho's Europa League opener.

"We were trying to win and they were trying not to lose," Mourinho said. "We felt like they were collapsing a bit physically, they were in trouble and it was that moment in which we lost the game. It was double unlucky because it was a clear offside."

Number of bad decisions against United: One

Watford 3-1 United. Referee: Michael Oliver

Like the City and Feyenoord games, this was a defeat in which the referee's influence did not overshadow United's shortcomings. Watford were deserved winners against a slack United who had lost their previous two fixtures.

They also cancelled out Etienne Capoue's contentious opener. Miguel Britos did get the ball with his tackle on Anthony Martial - but only after he had made contact with the Frenchman's ankle.

"The referee and the linesman's mistake is not under my control," Mourinho said. "I can't do anything to improve it. We cannot control the referee, we cannot control the lucky moments."

Number of bad decisions against United: One

Chelsea 4-0 United. Referee: Martin Atkinson

There are few referees who embody the opposite of common sense more prolifically than Martin Atkinson. United supporters, in particular, have become so accustomed to his perplexing officiating they are braced for disappointment when the most glaring of transgressions are committed against them with Atkinson in charge.

Just like the City and Watford defeats, the referee should not have blighted a comprehensive Chelsea victory yet Atkinson managed to irk United for the third game at Stamford Bridge. David Luiz - who has benefited from the myopic Atkinson's refereeing in the past - escaped with a yellow card after he embedded his studs on Marouane Fellaini's shin with the scoreline 2-0.

When he was asked about the flashpoint, Mourinho replied: "You know, I leave it for you. Because after a defeat 4-0, if I'm going to speak about the referee, you are going to jump [to conclusions]."

Number of bad decisions against United: One

United 0-0 Burnley. Referee: Mark Clattenburg

"I was analysing the game back, what could I have done differently, regretting one or two situations of course," Clattenburg told AP of his performance. "I just drove past [my home] and I was further up north than I should have been."

United have been awarded one penalty all season in the Premier League but were denied another in the infuriating stalemate with Burnley when Jon Flanagan appeared to trip Matteo Darmian in the first-half. The incident led to an enraged Mourinho confronting Clattenburg at half-time and being dismissed to the stands.

Mourinho was also apoplectic when Clattenburg flourished a second yellow card after Ander Herrera fouled Dean Marney. Herrera had slipped and tried to pull out of the challenge but upended the Burnley midfielder yards away from Clattenburg, who hastily decided to show send the Basque off.

Number of bad decisions against United: Two

United 1-1 Arsenal. Referee: Andre Marriner

The returning Antonio Valencia caused Nacho Monreal grief throughout United's dominant draw with Mourinho's patsy, Arsene Wenger, but referee Marriner inexplicably decided against pointing to the spot in the first-half.

Valencia seemed to be tripped by a desperate Monreal inside the area yet Marriner outspread his arms to signal no penalty.

"I like the words that Marriner told us before the game," Mourinho explained. "It was very simple: 'I don't want to be man of the match, I don't want to be seen.'" He was seen.

Number of bad decisions against United: One

United 1-1 West Ham. Referee: Jon Moss

Jon Moss' decision to book Paul Pogba for simulation would have been forgivable had he not been positioned so perfectly. There was no contact made by Mark Noble but the referee's decision to card Pogba was also undermined by Noble's post-match interview with the Premier League's overseas service, when he acknowledged he would have clattered Pogba had the Frenchman not taken the 'evasive action' Cristiano Ronaldo used to excel at. Strangely, the interview was not published anywhere in the UK and was only spotted by journalists huddled in the mixed zone.

The booking caused Jose Mourinho to pelt an inanimate object, a la Ralph Fiennes in In Bruges. Alas, fourth official Anthony Taylor, Moss and the Football Association seem to lack a sense of humour and concluded Mourinho 'endangered people around him'.

Number of bad decisions against United: One

Crystal Palace 1-2 United. Referee: Craig Pawson

"Robbery," screeched one sports supplement's headline. Mourinho was unhappy about the suggestion United had robbed Palace when United were victims of the dismal Pawson.

Pawson - and his linesmen - had shockers. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's assist for Paul Pogba's offside goal was handball and Marcos Rojo should have been shown a red card, yet Joe Ledley's obvious handball inside his own area was ignored and Juan Mata was onside when he struck with the game level at 1-1.

The type of tackle Lee Chung-yong executed on Eric Bailly in the first period had prompted players' expulsions in the past, yet Match of the Day omitted that from their highlights package.

Number of bad decisions against United (and Palace): Three

United 3-1 Sunderland. Referee: Martin Atkinson

With the game goalless, Mata dashed past Lamine Kone to latch onto an elevated pass and was barged to the side inside the 18-yard box. Atkinson, of course, did not give a penalty.

Mata looked destined to trap the ball with just goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to beat, so Kone had denied a goalscoring opportunity and could have been dismissed. The appalling Atkinson reprieved him but United won comfortably.

Number of bad decisions against United: One

United 2-1 Middlesbrough. Referee: Lee Mason

Brendan Rodgers risibly questioned Bolton-born Lee Mason's appointment to officiate City's Boxing Day 2013 win over Liverpool and there was no hint of Greater Manchester bias on New Year's Eve 2016.

Whistler Mason's decision to chalk off Ibrahimovic's masterful finish is one of the worst to go against United at Old Trafford in recent memory. No Boro player seemed to find the finish disputable and the sneaky Victor Valdes was arguably the perpetrator - for it was he who bumped into Ibrahimovic.

Mason also ignored a crude second-half challenge on Anthony Martial after he shot straight at the former United 'keeper.

"Obviously Lee will be very disappointed now for sure as now he knows, but for us it's disappointing as well," Mourinho reflected.

"We've had one penalty in 19 matches, and today we had another one on Rashford, we scored a beautiful goal and one before half-time that would have made Zlatan and Messi the top scorers in 2016 in European football."

"Brilliant win v Boro and the referee," one United fan tweeted.

Number of bad decisions against United: Two

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