Sir Alex Ferguson accuses David Luiz of getting Rafael sent off

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says David Luiz deliberately got Rafael sent off in Chelsea's 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Rafael was sent off for a kick at his Brazil team-mate, but Ferguson feels Luiz engineered the dismissal.

"[Rafael] retaliates but [Luiz] quite clearly elbows him twice," Ferguson told BBC's MOTD2 programme.

"He then rolls about like a dying swan, and that convinces the referee. He was smiling. That is bad."

Ferguson added: "What kind of professional is that?"

Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez said he did not see either Luiz's elbow or Rafael's retaliatory kick, but insisted such incidents were not unusual in football.

"I am not very interested," he said.

"I have seen 200 incidents in the Premier League this year and it will change nothing."

A Phil Jones own goal in the 87th minute from a deflected Juan Mata shot gave Chelsea a victory that lifts them to third in the Premier League table, but Ferguson was disappointed by the lacklustre performance of his team.

"There is always an expectation that we should do better. We expected a better performance. After the goal we had no time to get back in the game," he said.

Ferguson made five changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Arsenal at Emirates Stadium last week, with Ryan Giggs, Anderson and Tom Cleverley all starting and Wayne Rooney dropping to the bench.

However, the United manager said the changes were no excuse for such a below-par performance against highly motivated opponents hoping to secure a Champions League place.

"It was difficult for players coming in. Chelsea had everything to play for. They [some of our players] haven't played for quite a while, but that being said, we should be doing better," he said.