Jose Mourinho watched in delight as Manchester United comfortably dispatched Sunderland in Monday’s 3-1 victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
Super-talented Henrikh Mkhitaryan stole the show with a wonder goal and there were strikes from Daley Blind and powerhouse attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the thrilling Boxing Day triumph.
The victory extended the Reds’ unbeaten run to 11 matches in all competitions and Mourinho now looks to the next match at home to Middlesbrough, who are the visitors to the Theatre of Dreams on New Year’s Eve.
The win moved the Reds level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham but Mourinho says he is only interested in what his team can achieve without focusing too much on the points tally garnered by the teams vying for glory at the top of the table.
He said:
“Honestly, I don’t care about the gap to the top four positions not being closed at the moment.”
“I care about the way we play, our results, and getting the maximum points possible. Of course, every match for us is very difficult. There are no easy matches but we are playing well and we are more confident.”
“What happens, happens. For example, I think, last week it was Manchester City against Arsenal and somebody had to lose points. More of these matches will come and other people will also lose points. Let’s see.”
Meanwhile, Mkhitaryan couldn’t hide his delight at playing alongside team-mate Ibrahimovic and said:
“I love the way Zlatan plays. He’s great for the team and I hope he stays in good form.”
“His performance doesn’t show that he is 35. He’s doing some incredible stuff and I’m very happy for him because he deserves it. He’s a very big player and everyone knows him. I don’t have to say it because everyone knows he’s a fantastic player. I hope he will do his best for the next game as well.”