Moaning Mourinho eyes Liverpool lift
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said he, his players and the club’s supporters need to raise their game when archrival Liverpool visits Old Trafford this weekend.
United ground out a 2-0 win against Hull City in Tuesday’s League Cup semifinal first leg and it took an 87th-minute header by substitute Marouane Fellaini to put United in control.
United has won nine straight games, but with Liverpool five points above it in second place in the Premier League standings, Mourinho wants everyone at their very best on Sunday.
“I was a bit disappointed with the first half,” said Mourinho.
“They were well organized defensively. It wasn’t easy for us, but we were a bit sloppy.
“We complicated things; always one more touch, delaying the decision, giving them time to regroup. It was not our best first half.
“I think in the first half the players have to do better, I have to do better, the fans they also can do better. In the second half we all improved a little bit, just a little bit.
“I think now about Sunday. And Sunday I need to do better, the players they need to do better and our supporters need to do better.”
United captain Wayne Rooney went into the game against Hull needing one goal to set a new club scoring record after equaling Bobby Charlton’s tally of 249 in Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup win over Reading.
Rooney’s moment looked to have arrived six minutes after the interval when he was picked out by Paul Pogba, but the England international fired wide.
Juan Mata broke the deadlock five minutes later, ghosting in to volley home from close range after Henrikh Mkhitaryan headed Antonio Valencia’s right-wing delivery across goal.
A Pogba freekick shook the post before Fellaini headed in a potentially crucial goal from a Matteo Darmian in-swinger.
Belgian midfielder Fellaini was booed by his own fans prior to coming on in United’s 1-0 win over Tottenham a month ago, and he celebrated his goal by bear-hugging Mourinho on the touchline.
“I think he wanted to show that he knows how much I supported him in a couple of difficult moments for him,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.
“It was probably because I told him he’d score the second goal. It was nice for him to score in front of the fans and a second goal that can be an important goal.”
United was missing 18-goal top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to illness, but Mourinho said he expects the veteran Swedish striker to be fit to face Liverpool.
Fellaini’s goal was a body blow for Hull, which welcomes United to KCOM Stadium in the second leg on Jan 26.
New Tigers boss Marco Silva, who replaced the fired Mike Phelan last week, had only six substitutes because of injuries and saw both Markus Henriksen and Josh Tymon hobble off during the match.