GLENN ROEDER last night attempted to direct the focus away from his touchline debate with Jose Mourinho by venting his anger towards match official Chris Foy.

Mourinho remonstrated in the technical area and appeared to wave his hand in the air to demand that Nicky Butt received a yellow card for the trip on Arjen Robben that led to Chelsea's winning goal at St James' Park.

It led to Roeder asking for a word in the ear of the Portuguese boss before both could be seen huddling beside the tunnel with a reconciliatory grin.

The clash was the latest in a line of incidents that have put Mourinho in the media glare, on the same day as he issued an apology to Everton striker Andy Johnson for branding him a serial diver.

But, after last night's incident, Roeder was more concerned with where Mr Foy allowed Didier Drogba to place the ball before curling in the crucial free-kick.

He said: "We exchanged pleasantries and I don't see why anyone has to know what was said between the two managers.

"It's the referee's responsibility.

They have 101 jobs to do but they have that responsibility to give free-kicks and make sure it is taken where the incident happened.

"Nobby Solano says he asked the referee to move the ball to where it happened and he refused to do that.

"Four yards is a big distance to open up an angle on a shot. If it was taken where it should have been then it wouldn't have beaten Shay Given, I'm sure."

In the end Drogba's strike was sufficient to ensure it was Chelsea, rather than Newcastle, who sit in the semi-final of the Carling Cup this morning.

"In the context of the 90 minutes I have no complaints," said Roeder.

"Jose often talks about his players having fighting spirit and I feel the same way about my players.

"They didn't lie down, they fought as hard as they could and we were millimetres away from taking the lead through Obafemi Martins, it was a contender for one of the goals of the season."

Martins' first-half effort bounced off the underside of the bar and on to the line after 26 minutes, and Roeder said: "I haven't seen the replay. I trust those who have and they say it is impossible to say whether it has gone in or not.

The consensus is that it didn't."

Former Newcastle coach Steve Clarke, now Mourinho's assistant at Chelsea, agreed.

"I saw the shot and I have not seen the replay," said Clarke.

"You could tell by the reaction that it was not over the line. I have been told it was not over the line.

It moved that fast it is difficult to say whether it did or didn't at the time."

Meanwhile, Mourinho's apology to Everton striker Johnson has prevented the Football Association from taking any disciplinary action.

Mourinho's decision to issue an apology to the club, manager David Moyes and Johnson has enabled him to avoid any action from the football authorities.