Ferguson and Di Matteo clash as dramatic contest ends in visitors’ favour at the Bridge

The Blues finished with nine men and were beaten by a winner which the home side will feel was offside as United cut their opponents’ lead at the top to one point.

Referee Mark Clattenburg sent off Fernando Torres for diving – his second caution of the game – after Chelsea had fought back from David Luiz’s own goal and Robin van Persie’s ninth of the season to equalise through Juan Mata and Ramires.

Branislav Ivanovic had seen red five minutes before Torres, whose second yellow card prompted furious exchanges between the rival managers, and that was before Javier Hernandez’s disputed winner.

Ferguson was unsympathetic to the suggestion Torres was hard done to and felt the Spaniard had only himself to blame for being sent off.

“Did he intend to dive? I thought he went down,” said the Scot. “I think Jonny (Evans) may have just caught him a little bit but he can either carry on running – which he could have done – but he chose to go down.

“He could have carried on and scored so I cannot understand it. It’s his own fault.”

Ivanovic’s dismissal was less controversial, the Serbia international seeing red for bringing down Ashley Young, who had been played clean through by van Persie.

Ferguson admitted that was the turning point.

“You have to give credit to Chelsea, they never gave in,” he added. “They showed a great desire to get back in the game.

“I think the sending-off from the right-back was the turning point. I think we wouldn’t have won at that point.

“But we put Chicharito (Hernandez) on and he gets the winning goal and I think the momentum was with us then.”

Di Matteo blasted the officiating as Chelsea suffered their first league defeat of the season and their second loss in a week following their midweek Champions League setback at Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Italian is adamant there was contact between Torres and Evans and believes the Manchester United defender should have been sent off as he denied the Spaniard a goalscoring opportunity.

“The key decisions from the referee probably influenced the result,” said Di Matteo. “He sent off Fernando Torres and (United’s) third goal is offside and it clearly has decided the game. He’s (Torres) put the ball between his legs and is through and gets a kick on his shin and he goes down.

“It’s a free-kick for us and I think it should have been a sending-off for Evans because he’s through to the goal.

“Everything went for United and that really makes us unhappy.”

Chelsea last night made a formal complaint against referee Clattenburg after accusing him of using “inappropriate language” to two of their players in the defeat.

Professional Game Match Officials – the body which controls Premier League referees – said in a statement the allegations were “being treated with the utmost seriousness”.