Mourinho directly criticized two missed red cards and their impact on the title race after the match.

After Real Madrid's away defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho attended the post-match press conference and gave a direct response to the referee's decisions and the league standings.

Mourinho displayed two photos from the match, stating that the opponents should have received two red cards. Mourinho said, "Those were two clear red cards. We had a very difficult time playing 11 against 10; if we had played 11 against 9 for 50 minutes, the situation would have been completely different."

"The referee assignment committee selected a 41-year-old referee who was unable to withstand the pressure of the derby, while VAR referee Trujillo has a history of controversial decisions in Real Madrid matches. He intervened to remind Real Madrid players before the first red card, but he did not react at all to the second, more obvious red card."

"As for the red card that Whisen received in the second half, I learned after the game that the foul came from outside the penalty area. Even so, the situation on the field only changed from eleven against nine to eleven against ten. The players had already given their all."

Real Madrid are currently fourth in the La Liga standings. When discussing the team's current points and league position, Mourinho expressed his determination to win the title and his dissatisfaction with the refereeing environment: "Of course we want to be at the top of the table, we don't want to be second, third or fourth, we hope to get more points."

"But the league is only in late September, and the season is still long. The key is how to finish it. What has happened in recent weeks is baffling: the disallowed goal against Osasuna, the penalty awarded away from home, and the penalty given to Barcelona are all ridiculous."

"If they can give us a level playing field, the road to the championship is still long. I don't want to think that all of this was pre-arranged; I prefer to believe that the referee committee made a mistake. Although the result is not satisfactory, I have no blame on the players' performance, and I am gratified by the fighting spirit shown by the whole team."

Image source: Internet