Jose Mourinho accused referees of making two major errors after Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the derby. He arrived at his post-match news conference with printed screenshots of incidents he believed should have led to Atletico players being sent off, arguing that the decisions had significantly affected the match.

The first incident involved Cristian Romero’s challenge on Jude Bellingham, after which both players initially received yellow cards; a video review removed Bellingham’s booking but upheld Romero’s. Mourinho also claimed Lee Kang-in’s challenge on Fede Valverde deserved a straight red card, while admitting he had not yet reviewed the VAR decision involving Dean Huijsen’s dismissal and Atletico’s penalty. The result left Real fourth and Atletico second, five points behind leaders Barcelona, although both managers said the season remained far from decided.