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Everton boss Roberto Martinez accused Chelsea of using ‘every trick in the book’ to con referees after John Terry’s late winner kept Jose Mourinho’s men on top of the Premier League.

Terry added a crucial touch to Frank Lampard’s free-kick – but the Toffees were fuming at referee Lee Probert’s award of the dead-ball, after Ramires had fallen under a challenge from Phil Jagielka.

Everton boss Martinez insisted it was ‘no coincidence’ that the west Londoners were unbeaten in 74 home League games under Mourinho, because they knew how to win free-kicks around the area.

Martinez said: “Chelsea have an incredible know-how of how to win dead-ball situations. They use every trick in the book.

"Ramires was looking for contact when he won the free-kick and it was very soft. The same sort of thing happened four or five times in the second half.

“It was impossible for the referee. I can’t blame [him] because would he have needed magic to know whether to award free-kicks or not?

“It is no coincidence that they have been unbeaten [under Mourinho] for 74 League matches at home. It can’t just be that they have played well at home every single match.

"I couldn’t see Chelsea scoring from open play, but they kept winning free-kicks.

“It happens everywhere, not just at Chelsea, and I feel sorry for referees because they have impossible jobs.

“We have now been the best team at Tottenham and Chelsea, and lost both matches.”

Chelsea boss Mourinho admitted his side did not deserve all three points, but praised the fighting spirit which kept them above Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race, despite the “limitations” of his squad.

Mourinho said: “People can say we were lucky and Everton deserved a point, but in the last 15 minutes – plus five minutes of injury-time – we were the team trying to win the match.

“It would have been a good point for them, but not for us because it would have meant us losing top position and we didn’t want to give our position away, so we kept going and going.

“We conceded a late goal against West Brom in our last League match, so to score late against Everton was compensation for that.

“I feel that to be where we are at the top of the league, with just 11 games to go – given the limitations of the squad – shows that the boys are sticking together. They are doing very well.”