JOSE MOURINHO was left standing like a statue at the end of Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea after Antonio Conte failed to meet for a handshake.
Customary at the end of 90 minutes, managers are expected to come together to show mutual respect in the Beautiful Game.
But after Alvaro Morata's winner bagged all three points for the London side, Mourinho had to be content with a handshake from the Chelsea backroom staff.
The Portuguese boss was seen lingering at the dugout, but Conte was too busy celebrating victory with his players and the Chelsea fans.
When asked why he didn't shake Mourinho's hand, Conte brushed it off as not being "important".
He said: "It’s not important. It’s important to win the game. "You have to have the respect on the pitch not outside the pitch.”
And Mourinho didn't seem to angered to have missed out on the special moment with his rival. He said: "You want me to go and chase him in the middle of the pitch? I was there. I shook hands with the people who were there.
"I think one of them was his brother, the assistant, so I feel that by shaking the hands of his brother and the other assistants that I did my duty. I cannot go and run to chase him. “Why should I wait [in the tunnel]? He doesn't have to wait. There is no problem with it at all. You are always worried with these things... no problem." Morata's brilliant 55th minute header saw Chelsea defeat their fierce rivals in a game they deserved to triumph in. Conte added: "It’s an important victory. When you play against Manchester United it’s always a massive game.
"We know very well this team is very strong. This type of win is important for our confidence. We showed great desire and passion to win this kind of game.
“We can win or lose but our spirit must be this. Last season our spirit was in every game – we started this season with a lot of problems. We were up and down. This game showed if we want we can." Mourinho may have been snubbed by Conte at the final whistle, but he was involved in his own sensational snub of his former player Eden Hazard.
SunSport reported how "The Special One" acknowledged the Chelsea players with a handshake or a friendly tap as they came out of the tunnel prior to the Premier League clash.
He was clearly delighted to be re-acquainted with the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Thibaut Courtois who he used to manage in his time as Chelsea boss.
But when Hazard made his appearance, now-Manchester United boss Mourinho thrust his hands into his pockets - perhaps proving that there is some bad blood between the pair.
There were reports during the end of Mourinho's second spell at Stamford Bridge that he fell out with the Belgian winger.
From The Sun
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