Jose Mourinho claimed that Manchester United did not lose to Tottenham Hotspur in a ‘strategic’ and ‘tactical’ sense despite their 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Monday night.
A Harry Kane header and two Lucas Moura goals consigned United to their second defeat of the new Premier League season, which is still just three games old.
United were not as poor as in their last outing, against Brighton and Hove Albion, and would have led had Romelu Lukaku not spurned his first-half attempt at an open goal.
This was, nevertheless, the heaviest home defeat of Mourinho’s managerial career, even if the United manager felt his side deserved more from the game.
“I think Tottenham felt it, we were feeling that too. But then the third goal came and killed the game.”
Mourinho stood in front of Old Trafford’s Stretford End after the final whistle, applauding those supporters that had stayed behind.
Many others had left not long after Lucas’ second and Tottenham’s third of the night, but Mourinho believes he retains the support of United’s fan base.
The Portuguese also claimed that United’s “intelligent” supporters would ignore the mounting speculation regarding his future and reports of internal disputes at the club.
“All our fans don’t read papers, all our fans don’t watch television, all our fans are more intelligent than that,” he said.
