Carlos Carvalhal Admits Pogba & Matic Were Too Much for Swansea Following Loss to Man Utd

Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal has said that Manchester United deserved to win after losing 2-0 to Jose Mourinho's Red Devilsat Old Trafford on Saturday.

Goals from Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez ensured a comfortable win for the home side, who went back into second place after dropping down to third when Liverpool beat Crystal Palace earlier in the day.

Carvalhal, who is probably the manager on the most friendly terms with Mourinho in the Premier League, was actually invited to sit next to his counterpart during the United boss's post-match presser.

“Come on, come on - give cakes to the guys,” Mourinho said after he spotted the 52-year-old walking past, jokingly referring to his compatriot's habit of serving tasty pastry to reporters in the Swansea conference room (H/T Independent).

“I think Manchester United deserved the win,” Carvalhal said after accepting Mourinho's invitation. “It is so clear than Manchester United started to play very strong with high intensity."

The manager also admitted that Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic were simply too much to contain. The midfield pair gave a good account of themselves during the match and kept things relatively easy for the Red Devils, who have now strengthened their grip on the Premier League's top four with their latest result.

“Our problem was it was difficult to control [Paul] Pogba and [Nemanja] Matic because they started to control the game with their two players," he explained. "We can’t put pressure on them.

“And because we can’t put pressure on them, we play too much near our area and with the players that they have between the lines they create problems to us.”

Saturday's loss saw the Swans drop from 14th place to 15th place in the league, just three points above the relegation zone, yet the Portuguese manager is confident his team will remain in the top flight.

He said: "I have good expectations for the future as I think if we will play like that then we will stay in the Premier League."