Martin Atkinson's performance at Chelsea one of worst of all-time, former refs'

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Martin Atkinson produced arguably the worst refereeing performance in Premier League history at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

That is the view of former referees' chief Keith Hackett after seeing Atkinson get a host of major calls wrong in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Burnley.

A furious Jose Mourinho highlighted four incidents which he believed changed the course of the game in his post-match interviews, including a 'criminal' foul from Ashley Barnes on Nemanja Matic that went unpunished and led to the Serbian being sent off, and two dismissed penalty appeals.

And Hackett says the Blues boss, who also felt Atkinson should have taken disciplinary action against Barnes for a challenge on Branislav Ivanovic, had every right to feel aggrieved with the man in the middle.

Speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, Hackett, who writes a popular 'You are the Ref' blog, said: "Atkinson was very, very poor. I've asked the question on our website: 'was that the worst refereeing performance that we have ever seen in the Premier League?'

"I think he was fatigued. He had Schalke v Real Madrid, a big Champions League game, in midweek and he shouldn't have been out on Saturday for a game of that nature.

"Mourinho was correct. Four major decisions in that game Atkinson got wrong and of course the major one was Barnes and that horrendous challenge [on Matic]. That is what referees are getting paid for, that’s what a professional referee should be able to detect and punish.

"I can't recall such a bad performance. Earlier in the season Atkinson had a poor performance of a similar nature, but this one topped it.