The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Jose Mourinho looks exasperated as Manchester United concede further ground in the Premier League title race after a late penalty sees Everton share the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park yesterday. The Red Devils are now 13 points behind leaders Chels
United boss critical of Everton after late penalty equaliser
Jose Mourinho gave an ill-tempered press conference after Manchester United suffered a late equaliser against Everton, dismissing the opposition as a long-ball side, claiming to have missed key moments in the game and citing double standards in the media.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s finessed first-half finish, a long-range lob over the advancing Maarten Stekelenburg, looked to have settled the points, but Leighton Baines made it 1-1 from the penalty spot after a last-gasp trip from Marouane Fellaini.
Mourinho’s post-match assessment was brief but withering.
Asked for his view of the penalty and then a crude first-half challenge that should have seen Marcos Rojo sent off, the Portuguese twice answered: “I didn’t see it.”
He was more forthcoming on other perceived slights, though.
Invited to justify his decision to send for Fellaini late in the game, he said: “I thought you would know more about football than you do, the answer is obvious.
“Everton is not a passing team any more like they were in the past. Everton is a team that plays direct: goalkeeper direct, Ashley Williams direct, Funes Mori direct. Everything direct.
“When you have on the bench a player with two metres (in height) you play the player in front of the defensive line to help the team to win the match.”
Mourinho went on to suggest sides managed by him were not given a fair rub of the green by the English football media, adding a side-swipe at unnamed teams elsewhere in the league for good measure.
“When my teams are playing pragmatic football and winning matches and winning titles you say that is not nice and not right,” he said.
“Then my team play very well – and is a huge change to the last two or three years (at United) – now you say what matters is to get the result no matter what.
“In this moment we have teams getting results that defend with 11, kick ball and attack the space on the counter-attack...it is phenomenal, it’s beautiful. “You have to make a decision.” At the heart of Mourinho’s frustrations, of course, are results themselves.
This was a sixth draw since the start of October and he clearly believes that represents poor value compared to performances.
“We are not getting the results we deserve,” he said.
BOURNEMOUTH 4 LIVERPOOL 3
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp refused to blow his top at his players after they twice relinquished two-goal leads to lose a seven-goal thriller at Bournemouth.
The Reds seemed to be cruising at halftime courtesy of goals from Sadio Mane and Divock Origi, and were 3-1 up midway through the second half, before three goals in the final 15 minutes saw the hosts run out 4-3 winners.
Klopp, who was admonished by referee Robert Madley in the second half, was barking orders in his usual fashion and also stormed out of his technical area to berate Mane at one point.
But, after his side fell to just a second league defeat of the campaign, he insisted he was satisfied with his players’ effort.
“I’m not angry,” he said. “I was angry during the game a few times, but I saw that my boys didn’t want to do the wrong thing, but they did and lost the momentum in the game, and it’s not simple to come back.
“That’s why you have to keep momentum all the time you can. I cannot change it. So why should I be angry?”
Callum Wilson pulled one back from the spot after substitute Ryan Fraser was brought down, but Emre Can restored the two-goal cushion soon after, only for the impressive Fraser to strike his maiden Premier League goal and then cross for Simon Cook to level with a well-taken effort.
And there was more to come in stoppage time as Chelsea loanee Nathan Ake bundled home a winner for Eddie Howe’s side to prevent Liverpool closing to within a point of Ake’s parent club at the top of the table.