Cardiff manager Neil Warnock claimed the Premier League has the 'worst officials' in the world after a 'criminal' decision saw Chelsea equalise through an offside goal before coming back to secure a priceless victory.
Cardiff led through a Victor Camarasa goal and the Welsh side looked to be in control as Chelsea ran out of ideas in the final third.
Yet Warnock was left seething after Chelsea equalised through Cesar Azpilicueta in the 84th minute but the Spanish defender appeared to be stood in a clearly offside position as he stooped to head in. Assistant referee Eddie Smart missed the call and Ruben Loftus-Cheek then scored a winner in stoppage time.
Warnock was then further incensed when Antonio Rudiger was only shown a yellow card by referee Craig Pawson after the German brought down Kenneth Zohore as the Cardiff striker ran through on goal. Cardiff also felt they deserved two penalties for tugs on Sean Morrison as set-pieces. The defeat leaves Cardiff in the relegation zone and five points from safety.
'To get let down by the officials... roll on VAR. I had to go into the bathroom and bite my knuckles but I didn't tell the lads that.
'It's the best league in the world but the worst officials. They don't understand what is at stake.
'It's not our fault an official can't see that, it is the most obvious offside I have ever seen or the most certain penalty I have ever seen.
'What goes through my mind? Is it payback time for me over the years?
'My players feel like they have been kicked in the teeth. I don't deserve officials like that today. There is no excuse for that, it's criminal. It's almost like not a matter of who you play, but who you get in the middle and who has a flag.
'The lads are flat. Flat as a witch's whatever. If my players feel like they look in the dressing room, that's the end of our season. But how many times have we bounced back this season?'
Warnock also revealed the referee's assessor Clive Whitehead rebuked him for his foul-mouthed tirades towards the fourth official Andre Marriner on the touchline.
Warnock said: 'The assessor was talking about the passion, talking to the fourth official... the game is passion! I'm 70 bloody years old. If you're not passionate when you see such an injustice, going against the lads who have battled and fought...Come on... it's the bloody Premier League, the best league in the world.'
Warnock said: 'I have to give my wife the same amount of fines I give the FA, and I didn't want to fill their coffers. I couldn't go until they moved. They didn't seem to want to leave the pitch.
'He's a good referee, Pawson. I don't know what Mike Riley [General Manager of the Professional Game Match Officials] does with his linesmen, but if you can't see something straight across from you... I listened to what the officials said. They're all honest guys, aren't they?
'They're as disappointed as me. But it doesn't have the same effect on them as it does me. We'd have been two points behind the others if we'd beaten Chelsea. He's saying Willian blocked his view [for Azpilicueta's goal], but it wasn't a six inches one. Either side, you should have been able to see he's two yards offside.'
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