Jose Mourinho Blasts Diego Costa 'Stamp' Critics, Puts Focus on Jamie Redknapp

Jose Mourinho has criticised those who believe Diego Costa stamped on Emre Can during Chelsea's 1-0 Capital One Cup semi-final second leg victory over Liverpool on Tuesday night.

The Portuguese manager, not one to shy away from controversy, also suggested an individual Sky Sports pundit—believed to be Jamie Redknapp, per Matt Barlow of the MailOnline—is leading a campaign against his side.

Chelsea progressed through to the Wembley final with a 2-1 aggregate win after Branislav Ivanovic's extra-time header settled a cracking tie. Costa's alleged stamp is making the headlines, although Mourinho doesn't believe he did anything wrong, as reported by Barlow:

"

He goes to the ball, he chases it, the opponent goes to the floor and he puts his foot there when he is looking at the ball. I don’t know what you understand by a stamp. Maybe you are already influenced by the campaign on the television with certain pundits saying Costa has committed a crime—the guy who says that must be nuts.

It is a great campaign. We know how much that pundit loves Chelsea. You are a manager, on the bench, and these guys have a good seat, earning a lot of money, no pressure. They are never wrong, they have to be fair and they have to be honest.

"

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rob Harris of the Associated Press provided further comment:

You can see Costa's two questionable interactions below, per Guardian Sport and BBC Sport:

Aside from the reported stamp on Can, Costa made a nuisance of himself all night long at Stamford Bridge. Whether he meant to injure the youngster, or indeed Skrtel, it may be wise for him to alter the way he enters 50-50 challenges. Before long, he is likely to receive a ban at a crucial point of the season if he carries on.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

It was perhaps the clash with Gerrard which summed Costa's style up, though. Both players slid for the ball, but there was the sense Costa left his foot in a little too hard and a little too long. However, when he squared up to Gerrard there was never any question of whether he would lash out. He is too smart for that. But the Spaniard loves to frustrate by being overly physical.

Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC offered his thoughts:

Former Premier League referee Graham Poll believes Costa should receive a retrospective ban for his actions, per Joe Strange of the MailOnline:

"

Diego Costa should have been dismissed early on against Liverpool for a blatant stamp on Emre Can and that would have cost Chelsea dear.

The question now is will the Football Association act retrospectively and charge Costa with violent conduct? To do so they have to check that referee Michael Oliver did not see the incident; it might seem obvious that he didn't as he took no disciplinary action but once Oliver confirms that neither he nor his colleagues saw the stamp they should charge Costa.

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Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Should the former Atletico Madrid man receive punishment, it's likely he would miss the Blues' vital fixture against Manchester City on Saturday. It's possible Mourinho would cry conspiracy if this happens—he was livid no Liverpool player received their marching orders during the match—but in truth, Chelsea would only have Costa to blame if his absence is forced.

Redknapp and Mourinho have a history of prodding each other, so the Chelsea boss's comments hardly come as a surprise. The former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder labelled Jose "embarrassing" after he blamed officials for defeat to Sunderland last year, per Sky Sports. Mourinho also mocked Redknapp last season, something the ex-pro acknowledged for the Daily Mail:

"

He wasn’t too happy with me and the next week he had a pop at me. That’s all right. It’s fine. That is what my job is about. I don’t want to go for dinner with managers and I’m sure they don’t want to go to dinner with me. It’s not ideal when you are in the teeth of the storm but you have to do it. If you don’t like it you shouldn’t be in this job.

"

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Ultimately, Mourinho will just be pleased to see his team through. His side remain in the hunt for a historic treble, but they need Costa to remain available for the upcoming tie with City.

Should the FA take action, it's likely we'll see another set of memorable Mourinho quotes before the week is over.