Jose Mourinho proves he’s still the master of mind games as he grabs Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia by the FACE and teaches him a lesson in heated touchline exchange… before Roma go on to win against nine men!
- Roma defeated Napoli 2-0 on Saturday evening and moved to sixth place in Serie A
- Mourinho was an entertaining presence on the sidelines as he ranted and raved
- IAN LADYMAN: Mikel Arteta is criticized for his touchline behavior but Arsenal are a team that smacks of excellent coaching – It all starts
Jose Mourinho was up to his old tricks as he feuded with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen during Roma's 2-0 win over Napoli.
The Roma boss lost his rag on Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia after he was shown a yellow card for his protests on the touchline during the first half.
In the 38th minute at the Stadio Olimpico, Kvaratskhelia went down under the lightest of touches from Bryan Cristante, earning the Roma midfielder a booking.
The incident happened right in front of Mourinho's technical area and he couldn't believe the decision. He covered his face and crouched down.
His reward for the histrionics was a yellow card from referee Andrea Colombo, but Mourinho wasn't done with that yet.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho grabbed Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia by the face during a heated altercation during Saturday night's Serie A match
Mourinho was furious when he was shown a yellow card for his protests after Kvaratskhelia went down under a challenge from Bryan Cristante in the first half
Mourinho's theatrical reaction to Cristante being shown a yellow card led to a yellow card for himself
He paced the sideline after Kvaratskhelia shouted 'basta, basta' [‘enough’ or ‘stop it’] and things got heated when the pair came face to face.
Mourinho seemed keen to instill some respect in the player and continued his tirade before grabbing Kvaratskhelia's face to continue the discussion.
They ended up in a sort of embrace, grabbing each other's arms, before the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United boss finally let the Napoli man go.
Later in the match, Mourinho had another animated conversation with striker Osimhen, who was later shown a red card as the reigning Serie A champions finished with nine men.
Even before the match, Mourinho tried to scare Napoli by standing on the pitch and staring intently at their warm-up.
But his behavior ultimately had the desired effect as Roma recorded a remarkable win.
Matteo Politano was the first to be dismissed in the 66th minute, with Roma breaking the deadlock through Lorenzo Pellegrini ten minutes later.
It then led to Mourinho chasing Kvaratskhelia on the touchline and shouting: 'enough, stop it'
A furious Mourinho took on the Napoli star as he gave him a piece of his mind
Mourinho eventually held Kvaratskhelia's face in what could appear to be a passionate embrace
The Roma boss later gave his opinion to Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who was later sent off
Osimhen was sent off for a second yellow card with four minutes to go and Romelu Lukaku's goal deep into stoppage time made it Roma's three points.
The result lifted Mourinho's men above Napoli in the table and they go into Christmas in sixth place, three points off the top four.
Lorenzo Pellegrini broke the deadlock at the Stadio Olimpico with fourteen minutes to go
Romelu Lukaku sealed Roma's victory by scoring their second goal deep into stoppage time