Jose Mourinho takes swipe at Italian referee Daniele Orsato and reveals disappointment at 'very slow' first-half performance

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Jose Mourinho slammed the first-half display from his Chelsea players in Maribor but ultimately blamed the Italian officials for two dropped points.

The Chelsea boss hauled off misfiring strikers Willian and Andre Schurrle at half-time and Luis Filipe soon after half-time, when his team were trailing to a wonderful goal from Agim Ibraimi.

Nemanja Matic equalised and the Londoners are now 16 games unbeaten in all competitions this season, and the they would have won had Eden Hazard not missed a penalty, five minutes from time.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was not happy with the performance of Italian official Daniele Orsato

Blues playmaker Eden Hazard missed an 85th minute penalty against the Slovenian outfit

'In the first half we were not good,' said Mourinho. 'Very slow; no intensity, no creativity. It was easy for Maribor to control the game and reach what they wanted to reach, a 0-0.

'I tried to improve my team. When you try to improve your team, sometimes it's for tactical reasons. Other times it's for individual performances. I think I was successful with the changes I did.

'In the second half the team were much better than in the first half. I thought we played magnificently: creative, fast, good dynamic, a lot of chances to score. Only when Maribor scored did the players realise the game was in danger.

'After that, a fantastic reaction. We deserved to win, clearly.We didn't reach the number of goals that we should have in the second half, but the team played well. And we scored a great second goal.'

Diego Costa had a 'goal' ruled out for offside moments before Hazard's penalty was saved 

Mourinho was not happy with the side which started the match against Maribor - Willian and Andre Schurrle were taken off at the interval

The 'second goal' was a reference to the disallowed goal prodded in by Diego Costa moments before Hazard's penalty was saved. It looked very tight, perhaps marginally onside, and he did not miss the chance to take a swipe at referee Daniele Orsato.

They have history stretching back to Mourinho's time with Inter Milan, when Orsato twice dismissed the Portuguese from the touchline.

'We scored two goals, two very good goals,' said the Chelsea boss. 'The second goal, the referee decided to disallow but it's a clear goal. Normally we should win because we scored two goals. But we have to accept it and to praise a fantastic stadium with lots of enthusiasm. 

'For the people, it was a fantastic night, and Maribor gave everything. They fought. They had a fantastic goalkeeper. And the referee's team didn't have a good night.' 

Heated: Mourinho clashes with Orsato during a Serie A match when in charge at Inter Milan