Mourinho’s given late New Year cheer

don’t think the fans would have killed me if we had lost 2-0 because I relate to the way they want football to be played.

“I’m happy with the way we played. We were dominant. In the first half, we hit the post and we had a goal disallowed.

“We weren’t afraid to lose for more. We played very positive football.” Mourinho deserves praise. As Karanka rightly pointed out afterwards, if Boro plugged one hole, then another leak sprang up elsewhere.

By the final whistle, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was playing left-back. He couldn’t move much further forwards for fear of bumping into Juan Mata, Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford and Martial.

Boro’s game plan had, by sheer endeavour and Valdes’ individual brilliance, looked to have paid off. This is a team whose defence had not been breached at the Emirates or the Etihad so far this season.

They did have a let- off, however, following a quite dreadful decision by referee Lee Mason.

Seven minutes before the break, Martial sent a 30-yarder thudding into Valdes’ right-hand post.

The ball came out and the Frenchman delivered a cross from the left.

It was poked in, at the near post, by Ibrahimovic. It was ruled out for dangerous play. It was nothing of the sort. With one quarter of the match remaining, former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo superbly cushioned Calum Chambers’ cross into Grant Leadbitter’s path and his right-foot shot was too good for David de Gea.

But, with the finishing line in sight, Boro’s concentration lapsed twice.

First, when Eric Bailly’s long ball was flicked on by Ibrahimovic. Martial was left with Valdes to beat. The keeper knew the game was up, he didn’t even bother trying to save it.

Seconds later, Bailly was fortunate that a shove on Gaston Ramirez didn’t end up with Mason pointing to the penalty spot.

But then Mata crossed for Pogba to nod home what proved to be the winning goal. It was hard on Middlesbrough. But it was difficult to argue that it was undeserved. Mourinho had rolled the dice. And they landed in his favour.

Karanka said: “The performance against a top team has been really good again – and once more we’ve been beaten in the last five minutes.

“At the final whistle, Jose said, ‘ I’m sorry’, because he always wants to win.

“But it’s not easy to mark Ibrahimovic. If it’s not him, it’s Martial, or Mata arriving with his left foot. Or Pogba.”

And didn’t Middlesbrough know it yesterday.