Mourinho elated with defensive performance: De Gea 'was on holiday'
If anybody expected Jose Mourinho and company to arrive at Anfield Monday and field a squad capable of an attacking display rife with pace and panache, those expectations were sadly well off the mark.
Rather, Manchester United made the drive an hour west to the banks of the Merseyside with an entirely simplistic, yet effective plan: stop Liverpool's high-flying 2.6 goals per match attack.
A stone-faced Jose Mourinho spoke to reporters after the match, and with a reputation for stodgy, boring performances, answered for his side's display.
"The defensive side of our game was perfect. The goalkeeper was on holiday for 90 minutes but had 2 saves to make and made them," Mourinho offered.
"65 percent possession and only two shots? That's their problem, not ours."
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No stranger to commentary on an opponent's performance, Mourinho put himself in Jurgen Klopp's shoes. "It was a very difficult game but more difficult for them than us. We kept control of the game for long periods and started really well and were in control."
"The game was difficult for both teams but for longer periods it was more difficult for them than us."
The former Chelsea manager's observations weren't limited to the activity on the pitch, saying, "We controlled the game not just tactically but the emotion of the game, that was probably the quietest Anfield I had heard and I was expecting it to be the other way.
"The reaction from their crowd was permanent disappointment. People expected us to come here and be really in trouble, which we were not."
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Hardly the match many expected.
If the scoreline was surprising, some of the squad selections left many befuddled. In the end, Mourinho was right to select Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, and Ashley Young, while the Ander Herrera deep-lying midfield experiment was an irrefutable success.
"If you analyse the game see the reason why did it, playing Young and Fellaini. We had control of the game - there were two amazing saves by David de Gea it’s true but they were out of context," said Mourinho.
With a Europa League visit from Fenerbahce and a trip to Chelsea next weekend, Mourinho remains level-headed about the magnitude of the task at hand.
"This is a point that stopped them winning three. Other candidates for the title have easier fixtures at moment and it is important to keep close to them – our opportunity to get five wins in a row will come."