When things are going well, Jose Mourinho is often at his most sardonic.
Taking Manchester United five points clear of Liverpool with today's 2-1 win against Jurgen Klopp's side, some will feel that given their dominant position at half-time, United needn't have struggled quite so much to hold on as Liverpool rallied in the second-half.
Although as Mourinho clarified in his post-match interview, "We won, and I don't care what people say."
However, with the win secured and United now capable of looking toward Tuesday's Champions League tie against Sevilla with a little more comfort, the United boss has taken an opportunity to scold the fans for some perceived dissent.
Mourinho: “I’m not upset with fans about Rashford. I’m upset with fans against McTominay. The kid made all the right decisions and they wanted him to make all the wrong decisions.”
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 10, 2018
Given his relatively under-par performance against Crystal Palace on Monday, many United fans may have felt that today's game against Liverpool was one the the recently-declared Scot probably shouldn't have started.
Yet, given that Paul Pogba had been ruled out of selection late in the day due to injury, Mourinho had little option but to trust McTominay once more; that being said, whether it was indeed Mata, and not McTominay, that was drafted in offers a compelling alternative.
Although it is difficult to gauge how far Mourinho's trust for any player will stretch, the certainty with which the Portuguese would love to validate his own tendencies toward promoting youth will allow McTominay a longer leash than most.
For all the doubting that Mourinho attributes to the United fans regarding McTominay's performances however, plenty are paying witness to the young man's steadily increasingly efficiency.
This has been McTominay's best #mufc half by a distance. Read the game well, defended with discipline and passed positively.
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) March 10, 2018
McTominay with a mammoth performance. Matic on automatic again. Mike was in at CB today. Bailly as beast as ever. Ashley Young MOTM today.
— All For United (@allforunited) March 10, 2018
I thought Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had ‘vastly improved under Klopp?’ Bossed by McTominay in yet another brain-dead performance. £40m.
— FK (@fkhanage) March 10, 2018
He has his doubters but that was a superb performance from Young. Totally neutralised Salah. Thought McTominay was very good too. Great game
— Alex Shaw (@AlexShawESPN) March 10, 2018
McTominay has given a mature performance way beyond his years. 👏
— Annemarie Dray (@AnnemarieDray) March 10, 2018
In his post-match interview, Mourinho offered an interesting insight into the tactical decisions that underwrote how he approached today's game.
" I DONT CARE " manchester untied vs liverpool 2:1 | jose mourinho Post match interview pic.twitter.com/lMTxb8mhr6
— Utd Clips (@UtdClips) March 10, 2018
