Surprised at Tomori's dismissal by the referee after Chelsea defeated Milan, Mount

AC Milan's British defender Fikayo Tomori (L) fights for the ball with Chelsea's English midfielder Mason Mount during the UEFA Champions League group E, football match between AC Milan and Chelsea, at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, on October 11, 2022. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Mason Mount believes Fikayo Tomori's unlucky red card and penalty during Milan's Champions League loss to Chelsea.

The former Chelsea player, now a Milan center-back, was shown a red card in the 18th minute after it was determined that he had tugged Mount's shirt in the penalty area as the midfielder was through on goal.

After Jorginho successfully converted the penalty, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goal in the 34th minute sealed a 2-0 victory for the Blues in Group E.

But Mount thinks Chelsea was fortunate.

Mount admitted that he was stunned by the decision in an interview with Chelsea's official website, adding that he had still been given a chance.

I sensed Tomori trying to push me away, but I was rushing toward the goal and wasn't about to fall. I continued playing, failed to score, and then obviously the referee lost it and immediately awarded a penalty.

The Chelsea academy produced both Tomori and Mount. The two played together for the Blues' first squad before the defender left for Milan in 2021, where he helped the Rossoneri win the Serie A championship the previous year. The pair both spent time on loan at Derby County during the 2018–19 season under Frank Lampard.

"Obviously, he's my friend; I've known Fik for a very long time. I felt terrible for him in that situation. It wasn't a send-off, in my opinion, Mount continued.

It may have slightly spoilt the game because you still want to be playing 11 on 11, with two good teams going at it. We certainly wanted to win the game because it was important to us, which we did," he continued.

For striker Aubameyang, who played at San Siro for the first time on Tuesday, the match was meaningful. Willy and Catilina, his half-brothers, both played for Milan.

Aubameyang wrote: "Big dream achieved!!" on Instagram. I used to visit this stadium to watch my brothers play, but I never got the chance to take the field at San Siro; now that's over.

After four games, Chelsea is in first place in Group E. Graham Potter's team will play Salzburg on the road in its next match in an effort to advance to the next round.