Sunday 11 December 2016 19:24, UK
With a 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Nissan Super Sunday, Manchester United secured their first big Premier League win of the season against top opposition. Could it be the breakthrough Jose Mourinho needed?
Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports he was happy with the "evolution" of his team on Friday. He praised the "beauty" of their performances and put their stuttering start to the season down to bad luck. It was a familiar refrain, but after four months of the season the excuses were wearing thin.
Manchester United needed a big result. On Sunday they finally got it. Henrikh Mkhitaryan's emphatic first-half strike sealed their first Premier League win at Old Trafford since September. It put them within six points of fourth place, and, most importantly of all for Mourinho, it provided a tonic to their big-game blues.
The early years of Mourinho's career were built on results in fixtures such as these, but United came into the game having taken just two points from meetings with Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. They seemed to be lagging behind their rivals. For Mourinho, the comparisons with his final few months at Stamford Bridge were growing louder.
Now, however, they have reason to believe they might just be heading in the right direction. Tottenham came to Old Trafford with issues of their own having only won three of their previous 12 games, but they still represented a formidable opponent. Mourinho described them as the "best team in the Premier League" before kick-off, but United were deserving winners.
They set the tone for the first half when Mkhitaryan burst through midfield inside the first two minutes. The Armenian found Zlatan Ibrahimovic to his right, and the Swede crossed for Paul Pogba, whose first-time effort was well parried by Hugo Lloris. It was the first of four fine saves by Tottenham's goalkeeper over the course of the afternoon.
The visitors soon began to dominate possession, but United were brighter with and without the ball. Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick provided sturdy foundations in central midfield, and United's work-rate paid off when Harry Kane was harried into passing straight to Herrera in the centre circle.
The visitors were suddenly vulnerable, and United took advantage. Herrera's slide-rule pass was perfectly weighted for the onrushing Mkhitaryan, who raced clear and blasted a high finish into the net. It was the kind of direct, counter-attacking football Mourinho is all about.
"This feels to me like the kind of Jose Mourinho performance we're used to," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher at half-time. "Tottenham having the ball and not doing much, and Manchester United winning it, counter-attacking and looking dangerous. This could be Mourinho at Chelsea."
The United boss cut a relaxed figure as he joked with Spurs coach Toni Jimenez on his way back to the dugout for the second half, but those costly late goals against Stoke, Arsenal and Everton were still fresh in the memory. When Pogba rattled the woodwork with a free kick and saw another effort saved by Lloris, anxiety crept around Old Trafford. Were they going to pay for their missed chances again?
Spurs went on the front foot, with substitute Moussa Sissoko causing problems on the right, but United limited their scoring chances and this time they held firm. Mourinho praised his players for giving "absolutely everything" in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, and there were impressive performances all over the pitch.
Mkhitaryan was a threat right up until his injury, and he worked tirelessly, too, making more sprints (71) than any of his team-mates. Herrera provided the assist for the goal and dominated the midfield, winning possession more times (11) than anyone else. In defence, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones shackled Kane impressively.
This was only the third time all season that Mourinho has named an unchanged line-up in consecutive Premier League games, and while there are still doubts over some positions, it seems the United manager is finally learning his best XI. "I didn't change the team because the team is playing well," Mourinho said. "The players believe in what we are doing."
Mourinho admitted the result meant "even more" coming against one of the Premier League's top teams, and its significance wasn't lost on Gary Neville either. "It's a big moment," said the Sky Sports pundit. "If you think about it being the first big win in the league under Jose Mourinho, they will gain a lot of confidence from it."
It wasn't an emphatic statement by United, but it was a victory in their manager's image against the kind of team they should be challenging. Mourinho's start to life at Old Trafford has been anything but straight forward, but this was exactly what he needed. After four frustrating months, he finally has something to build on.
