Man Utd Boss Claims His Side Joked at Defender's 'Amazing' Own Goal After Crucial Liverpool Victory
Manchester United boss José Mourinho claimed that his team found the funny side of his defender Eric Bailly's own goal during their 2-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday, joking with the Ivorian that he'd scored a top quality goal.
Speaking after his side's impressive win over Jürgen Klopp's side, via the Metro, the Portuguese manager was quizzed on how his team reacted to Bailly's bizarre moment, and conceded that the mistimed clearance had caused much amusement in the dressing room. The former Chelsea boss said:
"The people in the dressing room are having a joke with him with his ‘amazing’ goal’.
"But fantastic performance and the spirit when other players probably could do it the easiest way and say: ‘we are winning 2-0, I’ve done my job, goodbye’. Eric Bailly was exactly the opposite, he was on the pitch, after the own goal he showed the mentality we want – a fantastic example for everybody."
The high-octane game saw United surprise many with their attacking approach, and the Red Devils were 2-0 up after just 24 minutes - as England international Marcus Rashford's double put his side in a commanding position. Liverpool hit back through Bailly's own goal in the second half, but were unable to find an equaliser as Mourinho's side ground out the win.
Meanwhile, Klopp hit back at the referee after his side's loss - claiming that the officials denied his team a clear penalty when United midfielder Marouane Fellaini jostled with Sadio Mané in the box. However, the German coach also admitted that his side were to blame for the loss, with their defensive errors being deemed as pivotal in the defeat.