Mourinho’s perfect plan pays off for United
HAVING set his team on a war footing with an eve-of-thegame attack on the ‘liars’ on the punditry couches, Jose Mourinho sent out his heavy artillery.
Manchester United were big and they got bigger with every change Mourinho made as they dug in, determined to avoid the fate of Tottenham at Vicarage Road.
Spurs had been beaten at set-pieces having been softened up by Watford’s direct style but not United.
Mourinho may be accused of many things but rarely the failure to make a plan. Romelu Lukaku scored the first and Chris Smalling the second with a flash of skill, twist and volley in a tight area.
Andre Gray pulled one back and Watford went in search of an equaliser with United reduced to 10 men in the final seconds when Nemanja Matic tripped Will Hughes and was shown a second yellow card.
David de Gea sprang to his left to make a splendid late save from Christian Kabasele and Mourinho celebrated the victory. Three points to the haul and, in his own mind at least, another point proved. His team is fighting for him.
Smalling believes United deserved maximum points and wants to put a consistent run of results together ahead of a busy schedule, starting with a trip to play Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday.
He said: ‘I think, when you are on top and you are 2-0 up, there is always that danger when they get that goal but I think we were worth the third.
‘It’s about getting four or five wins on the bounce, that’s what the manager emphasised before the game and it’s on us to start producing that run.’
Lukaku feels the result is exactly what United needed in order to maintain a title push, despite coming under pressure by a resilient Watford side.
He said: ‘Another win and we have to keep going. We ground the result out and that’s what we have to do.’