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Jose Mourinho delivered a swift and perfect response to his critics as he oversaw Manchester United absolutely obliterating Leicester City 4-1 at Old Trafford. The Portuguese manager took a massive call by dropping Wayne Rooney from the starting lineup for Juan Mata, but it paid of in spades as United decimated the Premier League champions.
Chris Smalling opened the scoring from a corner in the 22nd minute, which opened the floodgates as Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba making it 4 minutes in a stunning spell of football from the 37th to the 42nd minute.
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Demarai Gray scored a contender for goal of the season to provide Leicester some consolation in the scond half, but United saw out the game in comfort.
Here’s how the players and managers reacted after the game:
Manchester United
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba
Pogba reflected on the game with much joy, saying “We were very focused, we knew it was gong to be difficult and we showed a very big performance today. We want to keep on with that. I am very happy for the result and the goal - I hope that is not going to be the last.
Regarding the criticism before the game, Pogba delivered a stinging response, saying “I never look at the newspapers. I say one thing - it is at the end, at the end we will see.”
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho
Speaking about the the overall performance, Jose Mourinho was full of praise for his side, saying “It was a very good performance and result. It is not easy against them and not easy to win in the style that we did.”
“In the second half it was more about control - we wanted a little bit more - but Ranieri was very good to read his options and keep some balance. It was a choice of losing heavily or with some control over the scoreline.”
“Today we had intensity movement and dynamism. To be back home and beat the champions is good. Last season we couldn't beat them and this season we have beaten them twice already.”
When asked about Wayne Rooney being dropped, Mourinho was rather diplomatic, saying “Wayne Rooney is a big player for me, United and this country. He is my man, I trust him completely. He is happy.”
Reflecting on the importance of the result, Jose said “We have lost six points in the Premier League. We have four victories which is really important. Today it is about the security and the happiness of the fans, I don't know when the last time that they had such a scoreline at half time.”
Leicester City
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri
The Italian was at a loss to explain the concession from three corners, saying “It is not possible to concede three goals from corners. That means you are not concentrating, We are usually very solid at corners and free-kicks, it was very strange. Until now we have been very strong, we have made some mistakes. I can understand that they score with headers, that they are very tall, but to score a smart goal from a corner is not possible.”
However, Ranieri asserted the importance of putting the defeat behind them, saying “It is important to clean our mind and get ready for the Champions League on Tuesday.”
