Jose Mourinho saw his stars put up a fight on and off the pitch at Middlesbrough – as their victory ended in a tunnel brawl. Manchester United boss Mourinho got revenge for his mate Aitor Karanka, sacked as struggling Boro’s manager last week. But afterwards the Special One insisted he’d rather his Reds won the Europa League than finish fourth in the Premier League — even though they rose to fifth with Sunday’s win.
On a day of frayed tempers, the game ended with a bust-up in the tunnel after a clash between Eric Bailly and Rudy Gestede led some players to mistakenly think they had BITTEN each other, sparking Ben Gibson’s rage. Security were called to keep players apart. Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard gave United a 2-0 lead, and Gestede pulled one back, before Antonio Valencia was gifted a tap in by keeper Victor Valdes’ slip.
Mourinho went straight down the tunnel after that stoppage-time goal, not hanging around for the handshakes with interim Boro boss Steve Agnew. United defender Phil Jones admitted that “emotions were high.” He said: “The tunnel? I think it was a bit of frustration creeping in on their behalf. “It is a difficult situation. I was in it [the relegation battle] with Blackburn, so I know how they feel. When emotions are high these things happen, but it was something and nothing.”
Gestede insisted the flare-up had not been sparked by biting, and that he and Bailly were just talking. “We had a few words together; it was nothing major,” said the striker. “He gave me a hug and a kiss, that’s it. I didn’t feel anything. “Ben thought he bit me, so that’s why he reacted like he did. But I told him we were just talking, there was no problem.” Mourinho said of the victory: “It was a big win to keep us alive in the race for fourth position. If we didn’t win this match. We lose the chance in relation to Arsenal’s defeat and Man City v Liverpool [who drew their third v fourth game later on Sunday]. “Do I prefer to finish fourth or win the Europa League? I prefer to win the Europa League because it gives us the same — Champions League football — but it also gives us a trophy, prestige, a European Super Cup [final against the Champions League’s winners next August].
“Maybe we don’t win the Europa League [United face a quarter-final against Belgium’s Anderlecht] and have to fight until we can to try for fourth. “We missed many players but we had great attitude and desire from all the boys. It was a massive victory for us.”
Asked about his axed former Real Madrid No2, Mourinho said: “Justice for Karanka is the work he did here. People cannot delete the good things.
