Twitter Reacts as Ashley Barnes Escapes Punishment for Nemanja Matic Tackle

Jose Mourinho is no stranger to expressing his dismay at the referees, players and various external influences that have unfairly impeded his Chelsea side's path to glory.

After Saturday's draw with Burnley, the Special One identified four key incidents that cost his side three points, the most incendiary of which was a "criminal" studs-up tackle by Ashley Barnes on Nemanja Matic.   

On Monday, the Football Association tweeted their decision to let the Burnley forward go unpunished for a foul that was bad enough to bring the red mist down on the Serbian defensive midfielder. The English governing body claimed that no further action would be taken because the referee had seen the incident. 

The decision left plenty of Chelsea fans outraged, but many neutral observers were astonished to note referee Martin Atkinson actually saw the challenge but still took no action...

Thanks to this high-profile blunder, Atkinson has been relieved of duty for this coming weekend (as per The Telegraph)...

Inevitably, the decision to punish the victim of the tackle and not the assailant has set Twitter tongues wagging...

The perceived injustice has also spelled a healthy revival for the #CampaignAgainstChelsea hashtag...

"

No media pressure to ban Vertonghen. Hardly even spoken about by journo's. The #CampaignAgainstChelsea is real.

— #JeSuisChelsea (@CarefreeDaily) February 22, 2015"

The Blues have until 1pm on Tuesday to appeal Matic's red card (as per the Daily Mail), and many media sources have suggested this is the route they will take. However, there are some doubts as to whether this is the correct course of action...

"

Wow...#CFC will appeal Matic red card Who would have thunk it?????

— ROB (@1RobBeasley) February 23, 2015"

There has also been a Twitter backlash against Jose Mourinho, who insisted upon appearing on Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday to air his grievances...

There is no shortage of Twitter users who are accusing Mou of being a tad hypocritical. His reaction to terrible John Obi Mikel challenge on Mikel Arteta that broke the Spaniard's shin pad is particularly damning...

In the interest of balance, Mourinho is by no means the first football manager to say something hypocritical, and his perceived "moaning" is essentially his method of protecting his players. Of course, this didn't stop Noel Gallagher calling him a "whinger" on MOTD...

"

MOTD: Noel Gallagher On Whinger Mourinho [23.02.2015] http://t.co/x6TqbI5jaE

— SportsNewsDaily (@SportsNewsLines) February 23, 2015"

As we await the outcome of the Blues' appeal for Matic's red card, the Daily Mail have provided us with a chilling Photoshop representation of the Portuguese manager morphing into a gaffer who turned complaining and mind games into an art form.

Prepare to have your dreams haunted... 

Follow me @RyanJayBailey