MOURINHO: PLAYING AT ANFIELD IS BEAUTIFUL

JOSE MOURINHO has laughed off fears that Manchester United will wilt at white-hot Anfield. Former United defender Mikael Silvestre called the experience ‘hell’, and Phil Neville said it was the ‘ultimate test’. But Mourinho welcomes the hostility, saying it will bring out the best in unbeaten United. ‘We know that the fans have huge animosity against Manchester United historically, but this is what we want,’ he said. ‘It’s beautiful to play at Anfield. Beautiful. ‘This is quite funny for me because I think when people speak about big atmospheres, it looks like it’s a problemp for us to go to a certain place and to face a big atmosphere. ‘I am surprised that you speak about that in a negative way. ‘We are speaking about Anfield like it’s a big problem. It’s a satisfaction. I never see a player complain that the atmosphere was very strong. We complain when the atmosphere is flat.’ Mourinho has had his fair share of drama at Anfield. As Chelsea boss he lost a Champions League semi-final in 2005 to what he described as Luis Garcia’s ‘ghost goal’, and was in the dugout when a slip from Steven Gerrard dented Liverpool’s title 2014 tilt. ‘I left that stadium so happy, I left that stadium so sad. ‘This is the beauty of football and, again, I like to play there because everything is good.’