Graeme Souness has claimed that Chelsea players attempted to engineer Zlatan Ibrahimovic's sending-off in their Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain this evening.
Ibrahimovic was shown a red card in the 31st minute of the second leg at Stamford Bridge for a challenge on Oscar, after which a number of Blues players furiously surrounded referee Bjorn Kuipers.
Despite playing with 10 men, the French champions advanced to the quarter-finals on away goals, with the tie finishing 3-3 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
"We had a great game of football going on. It saddens me and makes me angry that gamesmanship is deciding big games," Souness told Sky Sports News. "You saw it early on with Costa and Luiz.
"It's not a sending-off. Oscar's studs are high, they make contact with the ball, and it's spoiled the game.
"It's not about the best team winning anymore. If that's what the game is coming to, we need to sort it out quickly."
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho felt that his players struggled to cope with the pressure of playing against 10 men.
Steven Toplis
