Mourinho hails ‘fantastic’ final display
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho hailed his side’s efforts after they beat Ajax 2-0 to lift the UEFA Europa League last night.
Victory clinched a place in the group stage of next season’s Champions League, a big boost for Mourinho after a sixth-placed Premier League finish. “The team was fantastic from the first minute to the last minute,” said Mourinho after goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhtarayan did the damage.
“It was a fantastic collective performance, there were very good individual performances and we had total control of the game.
“We always thought that we could win the Europa League and we are very happy. We played intelligently, we did it in a comfortable way.
“We were much stronger than them. If you are dominant in the air you go long.
“There are lots of poets in football, but poets don’t win many trophies. We knew where we were better than Ajax and we exploited their weaknesses.”
Mourinho added: “We are in the Champions League in the right way and, for me, the right way is winning the Premier League or winning the Europa League.
“We were not strong enough to win the Premier League but we were strong enough to win the Europa League. The club now has every trophy in world football.
“We totally deserved the win. I am so happy to see all the players with the trophy.”
Following a dreadful week in Manchester, the United boss said: “My thoughts are obviously with the victims of the tragedy and with the families. Maybe this victory will bring some happiness to Manchester, I don’t know.
“Obviously, me and everyone else would change this trophy for the people that lost their lives, that’s obvious.
“But if I focus on the football side, I am really proud.”