There were many games over my career for Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson would get out of his seat and come into the technical area to have his say if he believed that an intervention needed to be made, or a point expressed to a referee. People like to think it happened all the time but, believe me, in 19 years playing for him you recognised that he knew how to pick his moment.

Watching Chelsea against Liverpool on Tuesday night, my feeling was not so much that Jose Mourinho was looking for the opportune moments to appeal against a decision or make his presence felt. Rather, for most of that 90 minutes – and the 30 minutes of extra time that followed – Mourinho seemed to be under the impression that it was him who was refereeing the game.

He appealed for cards, yellow and red. He threw his arms about in frustration at everything that did not go his way. He kept up a constant stream of communication with the fourth official, Phil Dowd, to the extent that he had his back to the action, and was busy telling Dowd what was what when Branislav Ivanovic scored the only goal of the game.

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At times it seemed like everyone could save themselves a lot of trouble by fitting Mourinho with one of those headsets worn by the four officials, selecting the correct frequency on his radio and allowing him to join in the conversation.

When the two teams came back out at half-time, Mourinho seemed to have called a meeting of the referee, Michael Oliver, and his officials, such was his eagerness to give them his views on the events of the first half.

It is my view that Mourinho should stop doing it. His mithering of Dowd reached an extent when it would have been better all round just to put the fourth official in the stand, where he would get some peace to get on with his job of being the fourth pair of eyes among the officials. I have never seen the point of lambasting the fourth official as some kind of alternative to the referee out there on the pitch. After all, what can he do?

Had that semi-final been against a United team managed by Ferguson, you can be sure that my old boss would have been across the technical area. He would have spotted what was going on a mile off, the blatant attempts to influence every single decision of a young referee, and put a stop to it straightaway.

Brendan Rodgers decided to ignore the nonsense going on in the opposite dugout. At least the Liverpool manager looked like the more dignified of the two.

The funny thing is, the more Mourinho does it, the more referees will be inclined to ignore him. If you spend an entire game jabbering away at an official you will very soon acquire a reputation as an annoyance best ignored. The whole process is counter-productive.

As for Diego Costa, I see it differently to the rest. I thought his actions were at the lower end of the scale of dangerous and that he was under extreme provocation from Martin Skrtel, who has wound him up before this season. My view of it was that Costa gets kicked a lot and actually his patience is to be admired in many, if not all, situations.

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Show all 24 1 /24 Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Chelsea: Thibaut Courtois A very steady game from a keeper with lots of confidence. His main highlight was when he stormed out of his goal to claim the ball before Raheem Sterling could knock it past him. Even when there wasn’t much to be concerned about he remained alert and instructed his defence accordingly. 7/10 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Branislav Ivanovic As usual he choose when to go forward extremely well. Occasionally, though, he bypassed a little too easy by Alberto Moreno. Raheem Sterling also caused him trouble whenever the young English player, playing as a false nine, chose to move wide to the left. His redeeming moment came in the first half of extra-time when he headed powerfully past Simon Mignolet. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Kurt Zouma Made a sloppy error to let Raheem Sterling advance towards the Chelsea penalty area but used his pace to get back and prevent any danger. He was left exposed when he committed himself too early allowing Philippe Coutinho to get one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois. 4 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings John Terry Had to help Nemanja Matic and Kurt Zouma when both made errors that would have placed Chelsea under threat if he had not have intervened. He was awarded a yellow card when he slid into the back of Raheem Sterling. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Felipe Luis Another fairly average game for a player who is yet to solidify his place at left back. He was stifled by Jordan Henderson and struggled to get forward because Liverpool would use the overlap. Replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta on 78 minutes. 5 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Nemanja Matic Contested an exciting battle with Steven Gerrard. He has the ability to be dangerous when going forward but fluffed an effort outside the Liverpool penalty area in the first half that he really should have connected better with. Still he did provide strength in the midfield and Lucas Leiva had a difficult time trying to get around him. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Cesc Fabregas Reunited with Nemanja Matic in the two holding positions of central midfield, he seemed tentative to advance too far with the ball and more than once lose the ball to either Lucas Leiva or Jordan Henderson in the Liverpool midfield. He was replaced on 49 minutes by Ramires after picking up a knock. 5 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Eden Hazard Used his pace and energy to worry Emre Can and Lazar Markovic on the right side of Liverpool’s defensive line. Should have done better with the through ball to Oscar shortly before half time. Shortly before the hour mark he beat three Liverpool players on the edge of the opposition’s penalty area but could only drag his left-footed shot wide. His attempt from 40 yards in the 87th minute was a little ambitious, though. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Oscar Linked up expertly with Diego Costa in the first half. He also gave Willian and Eden Hazard a place to play the ball when they needed to regroup. Even towards the closing stages, when he tired a little, he remained a constant threat to the Liverpool defence as Steven Gerrard found it difficult to track him. 7 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Willian Due to Liverpool exploiting both flanks, particularly Chelsea’s right, he was required in a more defensive capacity than usual. That did not stop him racing forward whenever the opportunity presented itself. Had he been able to press further forward more often he may have provided an alternative to the Chelsea attack. Played a beautiful free kick into the Liverpool area which was powerfully headed down and beyond Simon Mignolet. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Diego Costa Tenacious from the start. Should have been sent off for a blatant stamp on the ankle of Emre Can. In the second half he did the same to Martin Skrtel was that also went unpunished. Chelsea’s top scorer enjoyed more of the ball in the second half as his midfield behind him closed the gap behind them and him. Saw his strong left-footed effort blocked. 7 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings From the bench: Ramires He came on after 49 minutes and he energy did help Nemanja Matic who was having to contend with both Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva. His audacious and frankly woeful effort from 25 yards was unnecessary. He is fitness did become more effective as the game wore on and rarely stopped searching for Willian and Eden Hazard on either wing. 5 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Liverpool: Simon Mignolet After a recent drop in form, the Liverpool had one of his best nights in goal for the Reds. He pulled off a fantastic save after Diego Costa’s shot from the edge of the Liverpool box was deflected by Martin Skrtel. And when Costa got free in the Liverpool area, he stood firm to sweep the ball away from the control of the Spain forward. He was eventually beaten by a powerful header from Branislav Ivanovic. There wasn’t must he could have done about that, though. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Emre Can He wasn’t best pleased when Diego Costa stamped on his ankle early in the first half but that only seemed to fire him up as he was bold and aggressive in his play from then on. He handled Eden Hazard reasonably well and supported the midfield pairing of Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva, as well as Jordan Henderson, who was playing slightly ahead of the German. 5 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Martin Skrtel He found it difficult to cope with the strength of Diego Costa and made a clumsy challenge on the Spain forward but remarkably referee Michael Oliver didn’t point to the spot. He had plenty to complain about when the Spain forward stamped on him in the second half, though referee Michael Oliver didn’t spot the offence. His battle with the striker continued throughout the match and the defender will be happy with how he kept composed. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Mamadou Sakho The weak link in the Liverpool defence. Replaced by Glen Johnson on 56 minutes after taking a knock. He has a tendency to play too cautiously when involved in a match with a lot a pressure and that is what happened against Chelsea. Rather than play the ball forward to Alberto Moreno or Jordan Henderson he decided to roll it to his central defensive partners. 5 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Lazar Markovic One of the only Liverpool players to find himself not really involved in much of the play whatsoever. He was meant to penetrate the left side yet Alberto Moreno did that much more effectively which meant Markovic had to retreat into the middle where he isn’t comfortable. Replaced by Mario Balotelli on 70. 4 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Alberto Moreno Ever since he’s been played in the left wing back role he’s looked confident and composed. He is naturally gifted as a defender but is also fit enough to race forward at a moment’s notice on the counter attack. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Lucas Leiva He gave Steven Gerrard far too much work to do at times. He can be an effective player but not when presented with obstacles such as Nemanja Matic whom he struggled against. It didn’t help that Lazar Markovic tried to move forward at virtually every opportunity which meant Leiva was anchored to a defensive midfield role. He did move forward once Raheem Sterling moved out wide when Rickie Lambert came on but Leiva was flagging by then. 5 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Steven Gerrard Worked hard to stop Nemanja Matic advancing too far into the Liverpool half. The Reds will obviously miss his ability to galvanise the team when he goes but what they may not miss is how slow he has become when the opposition breaks forward. In those situations Liverpool are down to ten men and against Chelsea you leave your teammates helpless. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Jordan Henderson His poor pass back nearly allowed Diego Costa a free route to goal. Didn’t always look comfortable playing so deep and had to contend with the speed and trickery of Eden Hazard. 6 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Phillipe Coutinho Never made it easy for the Chelsea defence. He made Kurt Zouma look stupid when the Brazilian sold him a dummy before his shot one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois was saved. His confidence when passing the ball means that a defence can be easily cut open - Chelsea realised his danger too many times and were lucky that his teammates weren’t so prolific. 7 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings Raheem Sterling A persistent pest to the Chelsea defence. He never stopped looking for ways to attack the Blues’ goal whether that be from inside the area or outside. His quick feet were too much for Chelsea captain John Terry who earned himself a yellow card when he slid into him. 7 Getty Images Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 player ratings From the bench: Mario Balotelli Made three notable contributions to the match. He came on, ran down the left before he lost the ball ball shortly after coming on and blazed over from the edge of the Liverpool area. He continues to be dreadful and is generally at his best when defending throw ins. His sulking at the end of the game was fairly pathetic, too. 2 Getty Images

Mourinho will know that his team, so impressive at the start of the season, are starting to creak a little in defence. He changed it for this game by bringing in Kurt Zouma to give himself more pace in the centre of defence. The Mourinho teams I played against were built on a very solid defensive base but they have conceded five to Spurs and four to Bradford this month.

At Old Trafford we first encountered Mourinho in 2004 when his Porto team eliminated us on their way to winning the Champions League that year. With the benefit of a goal of mine being wrongly disallowed on the night, they went all the way and you saw then that this was a manager capable of improving the performance of the players he coached.

No one doubts that Mourinho has a fine record as a coach, with two Champions League titles and the possibility of winning a third Premier League with Chelsea this season.

The refereeing of matches he can safely leave to someone else.

Ronaldo always got plenty of stick when he was in England

I was in the Manchester United team the night that Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for going head-to-head with Richard Hughes in a game against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in 2007.

Like a lot of very good players, Cristiano had to take a lot of stick from opponents and for the most part he took it well and got on with the game. But, as with all of us, there is a breaking point and it seemed like he reached it again with his sending-off against Cordoba last weekend.

Cristiano Ronaldo is sent off against Cordob (GETTY IMAGES)

In England, he would get the worst of it from players like Ben Thatcher and Michael Ball when we played Manchester City. He did well not to react. These days, players like Cristiano are afforded a lot more protection and the days of going through an opposing team’s best players are, thankfully, long gone.

Yet it shows that, for all the restraint, the drip-drip of persistent fouling can still have an effect on even the top players.

Chelsea can still be caught, even if they see off City

Manchester City’s visit to Stamford Bridge tomorrow has been billed as a title decider. I don’t think so. Even if Chelsea win and go eight points clear at the top, I don’t think that is an irretrievable gap.

City looked like they were about to get going and then they came unstuck with a draw against Everton, then they lost to Arsenal and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. For all that, I would not be surprised if they beat Chelsea.

It seems that when he returns from injury, Sergio Aguero needs five to six weeks to get back in the groove. Yaya Touré is a major absence for them, but more so when they are trying to break down teams at home and less when they are going away to other big sides. Aguero and David Silva could cause problems for this Chelsea defence in its current form.

Netball's a thrill ... and it’s got a United connection too

I was spotted by photographers on Monday evening watching my local netball team, the Manchester Thunder, beat Surrey Storm. I have watched a lot of netball over the last few years. My 13-year-old daughter Alicia is very keen on the sport. I really enjoy it. Manchester are the defending Superleague champions and their director of netball is Tracey Neville, sister of Gary and Phil.