UNITED ‘Result was big, but I’d rather win the Europa’
JOSE Mourinho hailed a ‘big win’ against Middlesbrough to keep United in the race for fourth place – but he insists he would rather earn Champions League football by winning the Europa League.
Marouane Fellaini, Jesse Lingard and Antonio Valencia scored in a 3-1 win at the Riverside Stadium to take the Reds out of sixth and into fifth place in the Premier League table for the first time since November.
It kept Mourinho’s team in touch with the top four. But the 54-year-old insisted afterwards he would rather win the Europa League.
He said: “It’s a big win. A big win because it keeps us alive in the fourth position race.
“If we don’t win this match we lose the chance in relation to the Arsenal defeat and lose the chance in relation to Man City or Liverpool losing points.
“It was very important to keep us alive. Do I prefer to finish fourth or win the Europa League? I prefer to win the Europa League. It gives us the same, Champions League football, and it gives us a trophy and a super cup.
“But maybe we don’t win the Europa League so we have to fight to finish fourth. It’s a massive victory for us.”
United’s job in the north-east was made harder after games against Chelsea on Monday and FC Rostov on Thursday.
On top of that, Middlesbrough were playing their first game since Aitor Karanka’s sacking last week.
Mourinho suggested in the build up that Karanka, who was Mourinho’s assistant at Real Madrid, had been let down by a number of senior players.
But the United manager insisted afterwards he was not on a revenge mission on Teesside.
He added: “Justice for Karanka is the work he did here. People cannot delete the good things we do in clubs. It doesn’t matter what happens. I was sacked by Chelsea. People now don’t like me, but no one can delete what I did.
“Aitor came here when they were almost going to League One. He could leave the club, but decided to stay. He got promotion – he could leave the club and I know what I’m saying. He could leave for better, and I know what I’m saying.
“But he stayed for the fans, he stays for the players.
“He lost good opportunities to go to a bigger club. I repeat, I know what I’m saying. In the end he loses his job. But it’s football. I’m sure he wants this team to stay in the division.”