ENGLISHFOOTBALL Mourinho praise for City after title win is confirmed

MANCHESTERUTD WESTBROM 0 1

Jose Mourinho paid tribute to Manchester City as they were confirmed as Premier League champions following a Manchester United defeat.

Mourinho’s secondplaced United slipped to a shock 1-0 loss to bottom side West Brom yesterday, a result that put runaway leaders City out of reach.

The United manager said: “I knew that sooner or later they would be champions and if I was in their position I would be upset if somebody said that they won the title because United lost against West Brom.

“They won the title because they were the best team. They lost only two matches because they were the best team. That’s the reason why they are champions.”

United delayed City’s title celebrations by winning last week’s derby at the Etihad but Mourinho admitted that victory had a hollow feel.

He said: “Probably because I have won eight championships I was not over the moon with the victory against them.”

Mourinho suggested he had already congratulated his rivals in advance.

He said: “I don’t know if I was the first or if I was the second or the third, but I congratulated them face-to-face when I had the chance to do it.”

United produced a subdued performance against the Baggies and were beaten by a 73rdminute header from Jay Rodriguez.

Mourinho said: “We were masters in complicated football, everything was complicated. We couldn’t play fast, we couldn’t think fast, everything was complicated.

“They always had time to organise themselves.

“Probably in our best period, where we were moving the ball better and the team was thinking faster, they scored the goal in the only way they could score a goal, which was in a corner or free kick. After that they closed every door.”

West Brom, meanwhile, remain nine points adrift of safety with four games remaining and seem unlikely to stave off relegation.