He too received a caution for clipping Nicolas Otamendi from behind. “Claudio Bravo is a penalty and a red card”, Mourinho said.
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United couldn’t cap an improved second-half display with an equaliser, leaving Mourinho with just one win over Guardiola in his last 10 attempts, and only three in a total of 17 games against Guardiola’s teams. “In the first half we were punished like we deserved, but in the second half we didn’t get the compensation we deserved”.
“I didn’t change after 20 minutes because I don’t want to destroy the players”, he said. We had many, many counter-attacks – four against three, five against four or three against three. Sometimes players give us great surprises. “But I didn’t get it”. If we lose the ball, it’s a goal against us.
Mourinho did heap praise on youngster Marcus Rashford, saying, “the kid looked like he was playing in the under-18s against Salford City”.
City went ahead in the 15th minute when Aleksandar Kolarov’s high ball was flicked on by Iheanacho and De Bruyne beat Daley Blind to the ball before clinically wrong-footing David de Gea.
The Belgian, who was deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea under Mourinho, then created City’s second goal when his shot deflected off the post into Nigeria striker Iheanacho’s path.
“It’s brilliant from Ibrahimovic rather than the situation from Claudio”.
United paid £89 million (S$160 million) to gift Paul Pogba for Mourinho but the world’s most expensive player was anonymous compared to City’s driving force Kevin de Bruyne.
The Hammers were 2-0 up after 33 minutes following two Michail Antonio goals but Watford were level by half-time when Ighalo and Deeney pounced. “I didn’t anticipate the shot, actually, but I’m happy it came off me”.
For numerous 77,000 spectators inside the Theatre of Dreams, it was very much a first half to forget for large parts as the visitors took complete control of the contest from the off through their high pressing and fluid attacking movement.
In added time at the end of the half, United showed their confidence was rising when a cross from Rooney found Ibrahimovic unmarked but his header was collected by Bravo. Roberto Firmino scored twice while Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana also scored at Anfield, which hosted its first game of the season following the completion of work to expand the club’s main stand. The impact of Rashford, the only Mancunian on the field, whose goal had settled the last derby, was immediate. But both men had tried to play down their personal rivalry at their pre-match press conferences – and that was in line with what followed on Saturday, as they engaged in warm-looking embraces both immediately before the game and after the final whistle.
Dele Alli and Harry Kane opened their accounts for the season after the break as Spurs moved fourth with eight points.
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Mourinho, whose cordial embrace of Guardiola at the start of the match was warmer than the response Old Trafford gave to the new City boss, was left frustrated, saying he believed referee Mark Clattenburg should have awarded United two penalties. “It was the ideal result for us”.
