Jose Mourinho: We totally controlled Chelsea

James. M
Apr 17, 2017
2 min read

The boss insists he was pleased by United's collective performance and that we dominated Chelsea just as we did at Stamford bridge in our last meeting.

Goals from Marcus Rasford and Ander Herrera at the start of each half were enough to exert revenge on Chelsea on Sunday.

The boss was however much more pleased by the team's fighting spirit and the ability to "control a great team full of fantastic players".

Mourinho remained adamant that United were also on course to beat Chelsea in the FA Cup last time out using the same tactics before Ander Herrera's red card ruined that particular match.

"From a personal point of view, thinking about me, my work, how I think and how I prepare for matches, it was being convinced that we would be playing in the FA Cup semi-final this weekend if we'd played at Stamford Bridge with 11 men." he told Sky Sports.

"The same thing that made me go to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup with the same tactics. Maybe we didn't rest [players] we just chose the team that we thought was the best team.

"That game was totally controlled when we played with 11 players, and only the decision that made us play with 10 players gave Chelsea a chance to be dominant.

"We knew that playing this way would be very difficult for them."

He also stressed again that we'd continue fighting for the top four until it becomes mathematically impossible to achieve.

"I'm really happy with the team and the result because the results of Man City and Liverpool left us needing to win. The result means we keep two windows open to play Champions League football.

"I can't give up on the Premier League yet. We have to try. If one day we are in the Europa league and the distance in the Premier League is too big, then we have to prioritise and nobody can criticise us if we do things in a different way for the final few matches."

Mourinho has masterminded big wins against big teams before, but Sunday's tactics: combining breathtaking attacking movement and defensive awareness definitely pleased everyone watching.

Another big performance awaits at Old Trafford when we tackle Anderlecht in the Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday where a win is imperative to reach the semis.

Judging from yesterday's performance, Thursday should already be here!