Diego Simeone insists the referee was correct to add on 10 additional minutes in Atletico Madrid's dramatic late win at Espanyol due to the home side's time-wasting.
Atleti were heading for a first defeat of the season after Raul de Tomas gave Espanyol the lead through their first LaLiga goal in nine matches.
But Simeone's decision to make a triple substitution at half-time, before also turning to Joao Felix and Matheus Cunha in the second half, paid off for the reigning champions.
Yannick Carrasco fired in an equaliser in the 79th minute – Atleti's 300th LaLiga goal against Espanyol – and then set up Lemar's winner in the ninth of 10 added-on minutes.
Six substitutions were made in the second half and there was a lengthy VAR check for an earlier disallowed goal for Lemar after Luis Suarez was adjudged to have been offside in the build-up.
Espanyol scorer De Tomas complained about the amount of additional time played, but Simeone believes the hosts were made to pay for deliberately slowing down the game.
"It was a lot of minutes at the end, but I've never seen so much time wasted in a match either," Simeone said at his post-match news conference.
"You should look at what happened during the match."
Lemar dropped out of the starting line-up in place of Antoine Griezmann, who was making his second debut for Atleti, but made an impression during his time on the pitch.
Simeone explained after the game that the decision to overlook Lemar for a starting spot was down to fitness reasons following his return from international duty with France.
"Thomas is in a very good moment," Simeone said. "With the national team he had a digestive problem, he lost 3-4 kilos.
"That is why I had doubts and thought about reserving him instead for Wednesday. I hope he can repeat those scenarios.
"He was the player we signed from Monaco, the player that the team needs. Verticality he is good, he has a right foot, a left foot, he works had
"He grew a lot last season but lacked goals. Hopefully this season the goals will follow like today."
Atletico's late double came after Griezmann had been substituted off with an hour played following an underwhelming first game back since rejoining from Barcelona.
Griezmann had just four touches in the opposition box and managed only two shots, neither of which were on target, though nobody could match his three big chances created.
Asked what he made of Griezmann's performance, Simeone said: "I saw quite a lot in the first half that was not good from us. Espanyol were better in the first half.
"In the second we changed and looked for other alternatives to what we saw in the first half. The team had an extraordinary second half."
While Atletico have now picked up three wins and a draw from their opening four games, Espanyol remain winless on their return to the top flight.
Despite the controversy surrounding the added time at the end of the game at RCDE Stadium, home boss Vicente Moreno did not feel the need to criticise referee Juan Martinez Munuera.
"I don't think about it. It may seem like more minutes or fewer than expected, but it's down to the referee. Little can change what he saw," Moreno said.
"You rarely see 10 minutes added on in a game, but I am totally respectful. I just hope it's the same when we need a goal.
"As for the other comments made [by Simeone], I am respectful of what everyone says."
Atletico, who had failed to win on their previous three league visits to Espanyol, return to action on Wednesday with a home match against Porto in the Champions League.
Moyes to leave West Ham at end of season
West Ham have confirmed that David Moyes will leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.
It comes after reports on Monday that former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui agreed a deal to take over from the Scot.
Moyes, who has overseen 260 games so far during his two spells with the club, guided West Ham to their first European trophy since 1965 when they beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in 2023.
In a club statement, Moyes said: “I have enjoyed four and a half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019.
“When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three consecutive seasons in Europe.
“I would like to thank all the players for their support, and all the success they have achieved over the last four and a half years.
“I have really enjoyed working with everyone at West Ham, and I would like to thank the Board for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club.
“I wish my eventual successor, the directors, the players, the staff, the fans, and everybody at West Ham, all the very best for the future.”
This season, Moyes has come under increasing pressure after a poor run of form, including a 5-0 thrashing by Chelsea on Sunday.
However, after saving West Ham from relegation in both stints at the club, first between November 2017 and May 2018 and then from November 2019, Moyes has overseen three successive European campaigns.
With two games left of the campaign, Moyes boasts a record of 111 from his 260 matches, with a win percentage of 44.7 per cent in all competitions over both spells in charge.
Ten Hag hits back at Mourinho dig over Man United board backing
Erik ten Hag has hit back at Jose Mourinho after the former Manchester United manager said he did not get the same level of support as the Dutchman.
Mourinho, who spent two and a half years in charge of United, suggested in an interview with the Telegraph that he did not have the same backing in the transfer market, or the same level of "trust" instilled in him as Ten Hag.
The former Ajax manager recently spoke to Sky Sports about failing to sign stars like Harry Kane, with the club instead choosing to invest in younger players with potential, like Rasmus Hojlund.
Ten Hag is facing an uncertain future at the club with just one year left on his contract following a disappointing second campaign. New co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has given no guarantees that he will keep his post next season.
Now, Ten Hag has responded to Mourinho’s claims, stating that the Portuguese coach was the only manager after Alex Ferguson to be given backing by the board.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Ten Hag said: "Apart from Mourinho, the manager didn't get the players they wanted, and that is what you need.
"I am confident we will achieve our goals, but it is a tough competition. It is not a two-horse race anymore.
"There are seven, eight [teams in the Premier League] who all go for the title, who all have very good squads. So if you want to go to the title, you have to construct that squad."
PSG not obsessed with scoring twice against Dortmund - Luis Enrique
Paris Saint-Germain lost their Champions League semi-final first leg 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund last Wednesday, but that does not mean they will go all out to score twice in the return game, manager Luis Enrique said on Monday.
The Ligue 1 champions overturned a one-goal deficit against Barcelona in the quarter-finals, winning 4-1 in the second leg, but PSG are prepared to take the game with Dortmund to extra time if that is what is needed.
"The aim isn't to win by two goals, but to win, if you think you have to score two goals, that seems like a big target," Luis Enrique told a press conference ahead of Tuesday's game in Paris.
"We just want to play and score. If we score in the 89th minute, it will carry on. We don't need to score right away, we just want to win the game.
The Spaniard wants his side concentrated on all aspects of their game, not only in attack, and a goal from the Germans won't be the end of the world.
"You could score twice in two minutes, but you could also concede a goal," he added.
"We have to be 100 per cent focused on attack and defence. If we concede a goal, it is not serious, we have to stay calm. If we score twice very quickly, our opponents will have to react.
"It will be an even game with a high level of play on and off the ball, so it will be tough for both teams."
Since last week's loss, Luis Enrique has declared on more than one occasion that PSG will win the return game, saying: "That is the only sentence I know in French, 'on va gagner' we are going to win.
"It is a sentence I like, and I always think my team will win, so that is what I say."
PSG have home advantage for the second leg, and Luis Enrique has no doubt that the Parc des Princes will once again be a driving force for his team.
"I think the role of the fans will be vital, as it has been throughout the season," the manager said.
"We have a total guarantee that the fans will be fully behind us as they have been all year, particularly when we need them, and this isn't a normal thing.
"We will all be together, and I hope we can celebrate a victory and a place in the final."
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