Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was disappointed to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic finish the calendar year 1 goal behind Lionel Messi because of a wrongly disallowed goal.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho came into the post-match press conference visibly upbeat as his side staged a magical comeback reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson’s days, to beat Middlesbrough by a scoreline of 2 goals to one.
The Red Devils had to toil for the win as they went into the final 10 minutes of the game trailing a Middlesbrough side managed by his former protege, Aitor Karanka. It could have all gone smoother, though, had referee Lee Mason not adjudged Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s successful effort as a foul for a high foot, which was far from the actual case.
Zlatan Karate kick goal (disallowed by the ref) pic.twitter.com/n6Uahk4w30
— Zlatan Ibrahimovic (@ZIatanVines) December 31, 2016
The disallowed effort not only meant that the Red Devils went into the half-time without a goal to their name but also stopped Zlatan Ibrahimovic from equalling Lionel Messi atop the goalscoring charts for the calendar year. And, Jose Mourinho lamented the refereeing decision in his post-match conference.
He said,“ It’s hard because we respect the referees and they want to do well, but for us it is very disappointing. We scored a beautiful goal, a goal that would mean Zlatan and Messi would be the two top scorers in 2016 in European football. It is a goal that stopped such an amazing player being level with Messi as top scorer in 2016. So it’s quite frustrating.”
It was Sir Alex Ferguson’s 75th birthday and the Scot was in the stands to witness another one of Manchester United’s magical comebacks. Jose Mourinho was asked as to how he felt winning in a way that became a trademark or a tradition during Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure.
Jose Mourinho: “We managed to do something I love, bring the fans to the pitch. The last 15 minutes were 70000 vs 11.” #MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtdUpdates_) December 31, 2016
He replied,“ He deserves to come here and for people to remember the game not just for his 75th birthday but also for the kind of football we played and the fact that we managed to bring the fans to the pitch. In the last 20 minutes, the fans were on the pitch – they were not in the stands. It was 70,000 versus 11.”
It turned out to be a brilliant present for not only the fans in the stands but for every Manchester United fan watching from their respective homes and other places. What a way to end what has been a roller-coaster of a 2016 for the United faithfuls. But, it looks like the Red Devils are slowly getting back our lost groove and charisma.
