Watford passed up a gilt-edged chance to open the scoring as miscommunication between David de Gea and Chris Smalling saw the ball fall to the feet of Odion Ighalo but, with the goal gaping, he slid his effort wide.
Advertisement
Mourinho’s side improved after halftime and equalized through teenage striker Marcus Rashford, but conceded late goals to Camilo Zuniga and a Troy Deeney penalty as an excellent Watford side made off with all three points.
United are now six points behind Manchester City, after three consecutive losses in all competition.
The United manager said: “I think at 1-1 everyone thinks that you are going to win the game because we were showing complete control with intensity and concentration”.
“We have to improve, no doubt, individually and collectively”, Mourinho said. “Lady luck we don’t control, the referee’s mistakes we don’t control”. We were punished by this mistake and I can’t do anything. That [the Martial incident] is an obvious situation.
“But was I thinking that my team was ready, perfect, unbeatable?” “I have not had time to see about the situation”.
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial walks off the pitch after he was hurt during the English Premier League soccer match between Watford and Manchester United at Vicarage Road in London. “And we lost again in our best moment”. I think that is an obvious situation, like it was obvious last week against Man City but it’s something I don’t control and I can not even be critical of. “Not at all. I was completely aware that we were not ideal, with lots of players who are not end products and can make their own mistakes”.
On this display, we wouldn’t put it past him to gift the League One side a goal or two.
“And third is my hands, improving the team and individuals, trying to stop defensive mistakes”. We were in control so at 1-1 the tendency of the game was there to win and never to lose.
The final factor for Mourinho in their defeat was a lack of luck, saying Man Utd hadn’t had any.
“If you were to pick United’s best team, Rooney probably wouldn’t be in it”.
Advertisement
Since then the Special One has become the Beaten One, defeated in 11 of his past 21 Premier League games with Chelsea and Manchester United. I don’t know. I just know, in that moment, he is not in a condition to carry on.
