Manchester United emerged victorious over their cross-town rivals in a narrow 1-0 win for the home team, by the virtue of which Manchester City were knocked out of the EFL Cup
Coming into the game on the back a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of his former team, manager Jose Mourinho opted for a strong line-up last night to make amends for the poor result at the weekend.
Mourinho got what he wanted as the Red Devils marched on to the next round (West Ham at home) of the cup competition following a professional team performance at Old Trafford against the men in Sky Blue.
The manager appeared to be delighted with the performance and the result in his post-match reactions, not holding back praises for Ander Herrera, Marcos Rojo and the fans.
After the humiliating scoreline at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho had heaped praises on Manchester United’s supporters claiming them to be one of a kind after the fans didn’t stop cheering even when their team was 4-0 down and out.
The Manchester United manager continued in same vein yesterday, appearing to apologize the supporters for last weekend and later dedicating the sweet victory over the rivals to the Manchester United faithful.
Video: Mourinho apologies to the Stretford End for the 4-0 loss to Chelsea #mulive [@HammaaadKhan] pic.twitter.com/goKH6WTYUP
— utdreport (@utdreport) October 26, 2016
Speaking to MUTV, Mourinho claimed he never had the privilege to be among such a set of supporters like the ones at Manchester United, adding he feels a deep association with them.
“When I am at a club my heart belongs to the fans. I felt especially deeply for them. The reality is that I never had people like these ones. We lost 4-0 and they were supportive. Today the stadium was full of real support and it looks like the love for the club is bigger than bad results.”
“The only thing I can say is that I couldn’t be prouder than I am to be Man United manager.”
Jose Mourinho has endured an uneasy start to life at Manchester, but it’s clear the United faithful are firmly behind their manager and the team. And Jose has acknowledged their backing time and again recently. Mourinho knows the best way to repay the fans’ faith is by winning, as United look forward to a relatively easier set of fixtures in the coming months.