SOCCER / English FA Premiership: There was no mention of voyeurism, telescopes or possible legal action but Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger were back at loggerheads last night after a 2-0 Chelsea victory that prompted Wenger to concede the title.

Mourinho accused Arsenal of having a strategy to try to get Michael Essien sent off, drawing a tart response from his Highbury counterpart, who claimed the Ghanaian should have been dismissed for an elbow on Lauren.

Mourinho went swiftly down the tunnel at the finish without shaking hands with Wenger and believes Arsenal set out to exploit the controversy that has surrounded Essien since the tackle on Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann that brought a two-match Champions League ban.

He was furious with Arsenal's response when Essien caught Lauren in the mouth with an arm in the first half. Home players surrounded Essien, and the Chelsea manager feels they overplayed the incident to try to get an opponent sent off.

When Frank Lampard seemed to accuse Lauren of exaggerating the contact, the full-back had to be restrained by Arsenal's physio and a team-mate.

"The incident I saw was 10 players jumping on (Essien) like something ready to do," Mourinho said, "like a strategy, like: 'We are going to use the image that Essien has and, in the first body-to-body situation we have, to jump on him.'

"What I saw was very, very sad, with 10 players jumping on one. He made his mistake and was punished for that and he is suspended in the Champions League. Now he deserves to be looked at as a great player and now we have to be careful with other teams' reactions in relation to him."

Wenger did not miss this incident but saw it differently: "We did not even speak about Essien before the game, so as a deliberate strategy we hid it very well."

He added of Essien's challenge: "The referee was not brave enough to make the decision but it was a straight red. He hit him with his elbow and didn't play the ball, he played the player."

The Arsenal manager was also angry with the officials for ruling out a potentially decisive Robin van Persie strike at 0-0.

"We scored a fair goal and the referee made a bad decision. I associate the referee and the linesman with the same team - the Chelsea team."

The final remark seemed tongue in cheek but the Football Association may well look into it.

Mourinho, who felt Philippe Senderos deserved red cards for tugging back Didier Drogba and fouling Arjen Robben, dismissed the lack of a handshake. "I don't think it's important for the game," he said. "The important (thing) is 90 minutes of football."

For his part, Wenger was nonplussed. "I must say . . . it doesn't stop me from sleeping," he said, "but it was not on my side."

Mourinho blames Sky's constant replays for Essien's European ban and refused to do an interview with them. He told them, though, that they are popular in Barcelona because Essien will miss the games against that club.

Guardian Service