Mourinho rattled by Sunderland star's tackle and marches onto the pitch to protest

And the Roma manager's side's friendly against new Championship side Sunderland was no exception.

The two sides met in Albufeira, Portugal as part of their pre-season tours, with Europa Conference winners taking on a side that were on a high after finally escaping League One last season.

The opening stages of the game were relatively quiet, but as the game passed the half hour mark, Mourinho sprung into life.

In the 34th minute, midfielder Luke O'Nien was booked for a mistimed late challenge on Stephan El Shaarawy in the middle of the park, adding to the Black Cats' list of slightly overly-fiery challenges.

Mourinho had clearly seen enough, coming onto the pitch and arguing with his players that O'Nien deserved to see red.

You'd be forgiven for forgetting this game was a friendly.

But after a lengthy stop in play, Black Cats boss Alex Neil then diplomatically substituted O'Nien off just before half-time.

Sunderland managed to keep the Serie A side at bay until the 70th minute, when they conceded two quick fire goals thanks to efforts from Roma's Felix Afena-Gyan and Nicolo Zaniolo.

The match also featured some familiar faces, including Nemanja Matic, who signed for Roma after leaving Manchester United this summer - the third time he's been recruited by Mourinho.

Meanwhile, Giallorossi star and former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham was there, but didn't feature.

And although they fell to defeat, the Mackems aren't likely to forget the first half drama that saw their long-serving midfielder trigger The Special One.