ManchesterCity manager Manuel Pellegrini walked straight down the players' tunnel without shaking hands with counterpart Jose Mourinho after Chelsea snatched a 90th-minute winner on Sunday.
Mourinho celebrated wildly by jumping into the crowd and embracing fans after a defensive mix-up allowed Fernando Torres to secure a 2-1 victory in the Premier League.
Mourinho apologised for his loss of decorum and said he was trying to find his son when he leapt into the crowd.
"If they feel I did something wrong I apologise," said the Portuguese.
"This is the drama of the last minute.
"He (Pellegrini) lost the game in the last minute and I have sympathy with that. In other countries and cultures we shake hands before the game and that is it.
"If he was sad because of the result I understand. If he was sad because I did something wrong I accept that too."
Mourinho and Pellegrini have been rivals since the Portuguese replaced the Chilean at Real Madrid in 2010 following a second-place La Liga finish.
"Second place is just the first loser," Mourinho said before a match against Pellegrini's new club Malaga.
"If Madrid were to fire me I wouldn't go to Malaga. I'd go to a top-level team in Italy or England."
The victory moved Chelsea up to second in the table, level on points with Liverpool in third and two points behind leaders Arsenal.
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