Mourinho: Liverpool isn't the last wonder of the world

Joe Wright

Mourinho: Liverpool isn't the last wonder of the world image

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho took a swipe at some of the widespread praise of Liverpool's form this season following the clubs' 0-0 draw at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's men had scored 18 goals in their first seven Premier League games, which included away wins against Arsenal and Chelsea, but they were frustrated by United in a tense stalemate on Monday.

David de Gea made two excellent saves for the visitors but Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed the best chance of the match when he headed wide from a Paul Pogba cross in the second half.

Mourinho felt that moment should have been enough to seal the win for his side and suggested that the plaudits aimed at a Liverpool team which was kept at arm's length for much of the match have been exaggerated.

"I think it was a very difficult game, more difficult for them than us," he told Sky Sports. "I think we kept control for long periods. First half we were in complete control, second half David had two great saves but they were out of context.

"The game was in complete control, tactically and emotionally. We controlled the emotion of ourselves and also them, we influenced that atmosphere in the stadium — they were always showing disappointment. They were expecting an easy game and it wasn't.

"We knew it would be very difficult for them to score a goal and we thought we'd score the goal to win the match. We tried to start strong in both halves but they are a good team. But they're not the last wonder of the world like you try to say they are, but they are a very good team."

Liverpool play right into Mourinho's hands

United had just 35 percent of the possession during the 90 minutes, but Mourinho was not concerned by such a low figure.

"It was the game plan we had, we didn't want to control by having the ball all the time," he said.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.