Lucky Jose slams critics

JUST when Jose Mourinho needed it most, Manchester United dug deep to pull off a gutsy victory.

The under-fire manager still managed to lash out at detractors after the 3-2 victory over Newcastle yesterday, claiming he would even be blamed for the weather and the progress of Brexit negotiations.

Following a newspaper report that he could be fired because of poor results and frequent criticism of his players, Mourinho was a picture of abject misery on the touchline as United went 2-0 down against Newcastle after only 10 minutes of the English Premier League match at Old Trafford. An animated Mourinho reacted with fury, screaming at his players and gesticulating wildly.

In a five-minute span in the second half, United equalised. The winner came in the 90th minute, when substitute Alexis Sanchez headed home and United ended a run of four matches without a win.

Mourinho was relieved but still irritated by weeks of criticism.

“As a friend of mine was saying to me this morning, if tomorrow it rains in London, it is my fault,” Mourinho said. “If there [are] some difficulties with the agreements of Brexit, it is my fault.

“I think a lot of wickedness, and clear man-hunting, in football is too much. It is my life. It is a life I love, and since I was a kid I work for this.”

United moved six points behind frontrunner Manchester City and Liverpool, who played overnight.

Tottenham, which beat Cardiff 1-0 yesterday, is now a point off the pace in third.

Elsewhere, with Everton enjoying a man advantage after Leicester captain Wes Morgan was dismissed, Gylfi Sigurdsson scored in the 77th minute to seal a 2-1 win.

Striker Joshua King scored two goals and set up another to inspire Bournemouth to a 4-0 win at Watford. Wolverhampton won at Crystal Palace 1-0, and Huddersfield moved off the bottom of the standings by drawing 1-1 at Burnley.