Trailing 11 points behind Pep Guardiola’s table-toppers, the Special One was not moved by Romelu Lukaku’s strike at the Hawthorns. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has vowed to no longer celebrate most occasions when his team hits the back of the net, as he continued a war of words that broke out in last week’s defeat to Manchester City. The Special One was not amused at what he considered excessive celebrations from Pep Guardiola in the Manchester derby, sparking a fresh rift between the old rivals. And when Romelu Lukaku netted on Sunday against West Brom, Mourinho barely raised an eyebrow — a phenomenon he puts down to “maturity”.
“I didn’t celebrate too. Nobody was happier than me. Fifteen years ago I look at myself celebrating goals. With maturity you go into levels that you control your emotions better,” he explained at a press conference. “You get more experienced, you get more balanced. You don’t go crazy when you win. You don’t get depressed when you lose. You are much more stable with experience. Some other managers, they are different, and they don’t change. “I change. If I score a goal in the last minute you will see me run, for sure, for sure. But a goal in minute 20-something, 1-0 with a lot to play… Let’s play.”
Mourinho also declined to comment on a video released by members of the City squad mocking his reputation of “parking the bus”. “I didn’t see it, I didn’t watch. I am not interested in doing that. You are the ones to make your evaluations, your comments. For me, nothing,” he added. “I think Lukaku didn’t celebrate for two reasons. His love for West Bromwich Albion. He was a happy kid here, they help him to feel loved, they made him feel at home. It was here he exploded in the Premier League. So for sure that. “And probably the second thing is he looks at me and I don’t celebrate too. And he probably says: ‘If he doesn’t celebrate why should I celebrate?'” United remain 11 points behind their Manchester rivals, who have won their last 16 Premier League games to romp clear at the summit.
