Match Reaction: Jose Mourinho, Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini

May 5, 2017
3 min read

The boss was delighted with our performance rather than the result after Rashford's stunning free-kick gave us the advantage ahead of next weeks return leg with Celta Vigo.

Having kept a clean sheet in Spain and gotten the all important away goal, we only need a draw or any kind of win to reach the Stockholm final on May 24th.

Jose gave the press a detailed analysis after the match stressing that we still could have done better and also tipping which players would face Arsenal this weekend.

"I'm very pleased with the performance, not so pleased with the result. At half-time, it should be already two [-nil] and the result is open.

"We played well enough to have the result closed but we have to go and play at Old Trafford. We tried to win the match but we missed chances."

"We tried until the end, from the first minute to try and win the match and score goals but we missed chances, but the team was good, strong and compact.

"It made a strong atmosphere look nice and did well against a team that is very difficult to play against because of the way they defend with seven, eight, nine players man-to-man and I think we played really well.

"Very good performance, we had to play against the very negative record of Manchester United in Spain, so it's good but we have the match at Old Trafford.

"Let's hope Old Trafford wants us to win because, when Old Trafford wants, we win so that's what we want."

"It's a short result, it could have been better. Seeing Celta's trajectory in the Europa League, they definitely deserve respect for the second leg.

The players are in accumulation with lots of minutes because we played nine matches in April and now this one, so 10 in four-and-a-half weeks. The players in that accumulation are not going to play this weekend [against Arsenal]."

He still had time to shower praise on our match-winner Marcus Rashford revealing just what the youngster does behind the scenes.

"He’s a 19-year-old kid that’s in love with football. A kid that finishes a training session and stays half an hour more to take free-kicks and to wait for the opportunity. It’s his mentality. He works, he works, he works. He’s very mature and let’s forget the age because what matters is not the age, it’s the quality.

Jose was impressed by Man of the Match Marcus Rashford's contribution

"He started the game with a little problem and obviously with the running and the continuity, he was feeling [it] and [Anthony] Martial was fresh and had to give us the last ten or fifteen minutes where we thought we still could score because [there was] still plenty of space to play."

Daley Blind also echoed the managers comments saying the result was good but we have to finish the job next Thursday.

“We had good chances in the first half that we didn’t finish,” he added. “Second half, we got the goal. You can do it both ways, you can risk to score more but maybe give chances away or be happy with the 1-0 and I think we were happy with the 1-0.

“Of course, if there is a chance you are going to take it but you also keep in mind there is a second game and 1-0 away is a good result. A clean sheet is always nice for the defence and I think we did well.”

“We are always confident. We have to believe in our own capabilities but still, in a semi-final, anything can happen, so we have to be at our best in the next game. It’s a good result away and we're in a good position.”

Marouane Fellaini who acquired yet another silly booking said the team will give their all in Thursday's second leg at home.

“I think 1-0 is a good result, it is not easy to win here, now we have a second game and we have to be ready because it will be a big game for us. It will be tough, we know that.

“They are a good team, they can play, they have good players. Also, we play at Old Trafford, in front of 75,000 people, so we have to give everything on Thursday. I think we were in control. We knew what we had to do. We played well, we created some chances in the first half, second half as well. I think we deserved the goal.”