Jose Mourinho Answers Manuel Pellegrini's 'Small Club' and Frank Lampard Taunts

Jose Mourinho has hit back at Manuel Pellegrini's claims that Chelsea utilised the tactics of a "smaller club" during their 1-1 draw with Manchester City, a match which saw former Blues legend Frank Lampard net for the Etihad side.

Mourinho, who seemed to deliberately address his counterpart as "Pellegrino" during his post-match interview, also appeared uninterested in combating the Chilean's claims that "Chelsea didn't want Frank Lampard," per Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail. Further comments were posted by ESPN:

"

Pellegrino many times says he never speaks about me and my team but he keeps doing the same thing. I am the one that does as he says. I don't comment on his words. Don't ask me about his words, I am not interested in that. 

I don't speak about players from other teams, I am sorry. I don't speak about Frank. To speak about Frank is to speak about my past with Frank, the player he was for what he means in my career. I will never tire of speaking about this.

"

Jon Super/Associated Press

Mourinho continued to reiterate he won't speak about players from the opposition, while suggesting Pellegrini should focus on praising his goalscoring midfielder, not berating Chelsea for letting him leave on a free transfer.

"Mr Pellegrino, instead of speaking about other teams' players, should speak about Frank Lampard," said the Blues boss, per ESPN. "I am Chelsea manager, I speak about my players. My players did fantastic."

While drawing with City should certainly be seen as a positive result, Pablo Zabaleta's sending off and Andre Schurrle's opener ensures many Chelsea fans will have finished the match disappointed with the point. Lampard's excellent finish highlighted the quality of Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer and underlined his ability to significantly impact matches, even at the age of 36.

Mourinho's emotional response came after Pellegrini criticised his tactics, per Ashton:

"

[Chelsea] tried to keep 10 players behind the goal, like a smaller team. We wanted to win from the beginning. After that we had 10 players so I am satisfied with the performance. We showed character against a big team that came here just to defend.

"

Phil McNulty of BBC Sport suggested both managers shouldn't waste their energy:

Mourinho replaced Pellegrini as Real Madrid boss back in 2010, ensuring a difficult relationship between the pair has followed. Last year, Pellegrini opted against shaking Mourinho's hand after watching his City side lose at Stamford Bridge, a match which saw Mourinho jump into the crowd after Fernando Torres scored a late winner. "I did not expect anything different from him," said Pellegrini, per BBC Sport.

Chelsea's tactics against City have continued to fascinate under Mourinho. Last season, the west London side played an almost perfect game at the Etihad, securing a 1-0 win after defending as a unit and bombing forward on the break. Although City enjoyed plenty of control during the most recent encounter, this result threatened to repeat itself until Lampard's 85th-minute leveller.

Paul White/Associated Press

The visiting side scored an excellent counter-attacking goal, one which saw Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Schurrle brilliantly link. Costa's isolation almost appeared deliberate at times, as Mourinho knew the Spaniard's positioning would continue to gain plenty of attention, even if he wasn't on the ball.

Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala were almost sucked toward Costa when he received possession prior to the goal, allowing his team-mates the time to find space ahead of beating Joe Hart. While conceding late will frustrate many of the away support—especially considering Zabaleta's dismissal—grabbing anything from the Etihad is an achievement.

Ironically, Lampard's strike against his former club turned out to be a landmark one in his career, per Sky Sports News:

Chelsea captain John Terry offered a tribute to his former team-mate after the match, per 101 Great Goals:

The Blues currently sit three points clear of Southampton at the top of the Premier League. Their unbeaten start to the season sees 13-of-15 possible points accumulated, as the other potential title contenders continue to struggle. Arsenal are four points behind, City are lacking by five, while Liverpool are seven back. Manchester United already need to make up eight points after losing 5-3 to Leicester.

As such, Mourinho's men remain favourites for the title. Although he failed to mastermind victory against the champions, the Chelsea boss' ability to squeeze out results against the elite is likely to be key come the end of the season. If playing defensively makes the difference between gaining a point and defeat, Mourinho is entitled to do it whenever he needs.

Despite their questionable start, City appear most likely to challenge Chelsea's lead at the top. Pellegrini's side aren't playing the expansive, frightening attacking football we have come to expect, but there's plenty of time for improvement. Yaya Toure appeared to exit first gear against Chelsea and will be pivotal to City finding form, and indeed, reclaiming their crown.