Jose Mourinho hits out at refereeing 'criteria' after Real Madrid fall to shock defeat against Real Betis

Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Betis at the Estadio de la Cartuja following late Liga drama. Parrott struck in the 81st minute for the hosts before Mbappe squandered a glorious chance to equalise from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

The French superstar saw his 93rd-minute spot-kick saved brilliantly by Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles. The disappointing result prevented Mourinho's side from leapfrogging Barcelona at the Liga summit, leaving them stuck on nine points.

Mourinho cut a frustrated figure on the touchline and was booked by the referee during the tense encounter. The Portuguese manager questioned the officiating standards, particularly regarding a first-half booking for Arda Guler while the hosts escaped punishment.

"I don’t know why he gave me a yellow card, but it’s okay, I accept it," Mourinho explained after the match. "I stood up because a Betis player looked like he was dead right in front of the bench.

"Betis reached half-time without a single card, and poor Arda, who only knows how to play, ended up with a yellow. I didn’t like that, but after losing a match, I’m not going to say now that it was because of a yellow card that we won or lost."

Madrid dominated possession but struggled to find a breakthrough, with both Vinicius Jr and Mbappe hitting the woodwork. Tensions boiled over late on when Carlos Espi had a spectacular acrobatic finish ruled out for offside just moments before the decisive penalty incident. Mourinho admitted his coaching staff were left furious by the late decisions after reviewing the footage in the dugout.

"The penalty situation, the retaken penalty, Espí’s goal - I don’t know, I can’t say," Mourinho added. "I saw a lot of frustration on the bench from people watching the plays on the tablet. I haven’t seen them, so I can’t comment.

"It seemed like the referee let the game flow, which is something I like. In that sense, I always prefer a referee who lets the game flow. But the criteria for yellow cards in the first half."

The narrow defeat serves as a major wake-up call for Los Blancos, who failed to capitalise on their overwhelming dominance. Following this defeat, Mourinho will aim to lift his players' spirits as Madrid begin their Champions League campaign by hosting Inter Milan next week.