Jose: I’d prefer to win the Europa than finish fourth
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Jose Mourinho says winning the Europa League is more important than finishing fourth in the Premier League. His side are up to fifth for the first time since September after a match which ended with both sets of players clashing in the tunnel.
That melee was sparked when Boro defender Ben Gibson mistakenly accused United’s Eric Bailly of biting Rudy Gestede.
Mourinho was pleased to see his players showing fight on the pitch and insists they will keep going in the battle for the top four, although he will prioritise the Europa League — they face Anderlecht in the last eight.
‘I prefer to win the Europa League because it gives us the same, Champions League football. But it also gives us a trophy, prestige and a European Super Cup (final),’ he said. ‘But maybe
we don’t win the Europa League and have to fight until we can to try for fourth. That’s what we did. We missed many players but had a great attitude and desire from all the boys. It was a big win to keep us alive in the race for fourth position.’
Mourinho did not answer a question on the tunnel bustup, which came after Gibson suggested to referee Jon Moss that Bailly had bitten Gestede in stoppage-time.
But Gestede said: ‘We had a few words, it was nothing major. He gave me a hug and a kiss. I didn’t feel anything. Ben thought he bit me, so that’s why he reacted like he did. But I told him in the dressing-room we were just talking, no problem.’
United defender Phil Jones said the post-match clash was the doing of the home team, who remain in the bottom three and five points from safety following manager Aitor Karanka’s exit.
‘It was a bit of frustration creeping in on their behalf,’ he said. ‘It is a difficult situation. I was in it with Black- burn so I know how they feel. When emotions are high these things happen.’
Mourinho said before the game that he knew who the Boro players were who had cost his friend Karanka his job. And he again defended the man who was his assistant at Real Madrid.
‘People cannot delete the good things we do in clubs,’ he said. ‘I was sacked by Chelsea. People now don’t like me, but nobody there can delete what we did.
‘Aitor came here and there were 10,000 people in the stadium and they were going into League One. He then took them to the play-off final and could have left for better. He stayed for the fans, the owner and players. In the end, he loses his job. But that is football.’