Mourinho challenges Utd after thrilling win
Pogba leads fightback to spoil City’s title party
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho challenged his side to take the fight for the Premier League to Manchester City next season after spoiling City’s title party by coming from 2-0 down to win a thrilling derby 3-2 on Saturday.
Victory would have crowned City, who still hold a commanding 13-point lead over United, champions for a fifth time.
But a day after City manager Pep Guardiola claimed to have been offered the chance to sign Paul Pogba by the player’s agent, Pogba led United’s fightback by scoring twice in as many minutes before Chris Smalling completed an incredible comeback.
“My objective here was to get points and not spoil any celebrations,” said Mourinho. “The point is: Can we improve enough to catch them next season?”
United finished sixth, 24 points behind champions Chelsea, last season and Mourinho wants a similar level of improvement to tilt the balance of power in Manchester back in United’s favor.
“Next season we have to improve even more because this season we improved in relation to last season: more points, more victories, more goals scored, less goals conceded, better results against the top five teams.
“We improve at every level but it was not enough. That’s why I congratulate Man City because they are going to win the title. They deserve to win the title.”
Goals from captain Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan handed City a richly deserved halftime lead, but they were left to rue huge missed chances from Raheem Sterling to put the game beyond United at the break.
“In one month or one year we will see the game and think how did we lose it. But we lost it,” said Guardiola.
“For the fans it is hard, but maybe they are going to give more credit to winning the Premier League if we are able to win the Premier League.
“To see how tough it is when the people say since November ‘it is done.’ It was a tough, tough fight to keep going every single weekend.”
Guardiola added more spice to an already hotly anticipated clash when he claimed Friday he had been offered the chance to buy Pogba two months ago by the player’s agent Mino Raiola.
Pogba has endured a desperately disappointing season having often been dropped by Mourinho for United’s biggest games. But restored to his favorite position on the left of a midfield trio, Pogba showed why he was the world’s most expensive player when United splashed out 89 million pounds ($125 million) to bring him back to the club from Juventus in 2016 by hauling his side back into a game that looked lost at halftime.
“If they won they are champions. For all the fans it would be like death,” said Pogba.
“To lose against City and to see them celebrate, I couldn’t let that happen.”