Jose Mourinho Praises Man Utd as a 'Better Team' Following 4-1 Win Over Fulham

Jose Mourinho has praised his side for a dominant performance as Manchester United secured a comfortable 4-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, as the Portuguese reflected on the importance of giving ‘everything for the club'.

United romped to a much-needed victory at Old Trafford as Jose Mourinho overcame old foe Claudio Ranieri in the opposite dugout, ending a run of four Premier League games without a win for the Red Devils.

With a number of positives to take from his side delivering a convincing performance at least, Mourinho was asked what he was most pleased with from Saturday’s win. The United manager responded, via the club’s official website: “The result, the performance, the spirit, the fans, my players, everything and, if the second half was not as amazing as the first one, I blame [Claudio] Ranieri, because he improved his team.

“[He is] a clever man, very experienced, an old fox. He read the game, knows why we dominated them so easily in the first half, made changes and improved his team dramatically.

“Then I think fatigue from Arsenal and also fatigue from the way we played in the first half, so [there was a] reduction of this level of pressing and levels of fast transitions, so I understand clearly there were reasons for the second half not being as good as the first, but still a good result, an important result.”

Both the result and the nature of his team’s performance comes as a considerable relief to both Mourinho and his players, with a tough start to the season having been littered with tensions and problems both on and off the field.

The likes of Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez have come in from criticism, not least from Mourinho, for failing to justify their superstar reputations through performances. Pogba has subsequently been dropped and was excluded from the matchday squad on Saturday.

Mourinho was keen to reassert the importance of players giving their all for the team and for the club, as displayed with success during the much-improved performance against Fulham.

“The players understood after Arsenal when, with a bad result, you can be happy,” Mourinho added. “They wanted to bring that same mentality to the game to today. When the players give everything, the feeling is still positive. When you give everything for the club, you are a better team.”