Jose Mourinho has bizarrely suggested that teams will "put a cow in the middle of the pitch" to stop Chelsea.
The Blues boss was incensed at the behaviour of the St James' Park ballboys on Saturday as Newcastle held on for a 2-1 win that ends Chelsea's long unbeaten run.
Mourinho has described the defeat as an 'anomaly' and still insists Chelsea are "better than everybody else".
"Things were happening that the referee cannot control," he said. "He cannot punish the ball boy that disappears.
"You may as well put a cow in the middle of the pitch, walking. And then stop the game because there was a cow.
"You cannot do just anything in football. You have to defend. You have to defend with your ten men, put the ten in front of the goal line, bring the bus, but football needs a ball, not two or zero.
"Do what you can to win, but not everything."
Mourinho was not slow to point out that Chelsea are still top of the league - though their lead has been reduced to three points after a 0-0 draw at Sunderland and that defeat to Newcastle.
"We are top of the league," he said. "Nobody has done better than us. Everyone would like to be in our position. So we are more than fine. We are better than anybody else.
"For people like me who have been in football for so long you have to accept this anomaly.
"Newcastle did what they always do. They defended. They fought hard. They tried to counter attack when it was possible. This is the way they play against us."
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