The Chelsea boss disputes the fact more players get sent off against his side than any other as proof his players are being protected.

And insists that his Belgium star is being targeted and not protected well enough by the officials.

“There are red cards, and red cards,” Mourinho said.

“You could also say Eden Hazard is a player with more fouls against than the whole of the league, you could say Chelsea team with more attacks, more shots on goal, you can also say Chelsea is the team with more dominancy, but Chelsea is the team with less penalties – which is a big contradiction.

NAIVE: Mourinho calls Hazard pure and naive, like when he was a youth player [GETTY]

“On top of that I can say Hazard is still the pure, naïve boy that he was when he was a kid playing at youth level.

“For Eden Hazard to go on the floor it needs to be something really, really nasty, and he has no protection.

“That’s the reality, and we have many examples of that.”