Jose Mourinho defends Paul Pogba's penalty technique after Manchester United grind out win against Everton
Mourinho said his side 'are playing okay' but conceded they might have been punished by a better side
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jose Mourinho said his Manchester United side "are playing okay" after they ground out a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Everton at Old Trafford.
Pogba scored United's first after collecting the rebound from his missed penalty before Anthony Martial added a second with a curling strike from outside the box.
It seemed the two-goal cushion would prove comforting enough until Pogba was caught dallying on the ball in midfield after which Chris Smalling's wild slide tackle gifted Gylfi Siggurdson the opportunity to claw one back from the spot.
Eventually, though, United were able to hold out for a much-needed win after a drear defeat to Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday.
“We are playing okay,” Mourinho said after the match. “We are not as rock solid as I would like, we don't have that killer instinct I would like.
“Some teams they have three chances and score three goals. Some teams without the ball, can resist and keep a clean sheet all the time. But for us at this moment it is almost impossible to keep a clean sheet even with the phenomenal goalkeeper we have. And to score goals is really difficult for us – you can see that in this moment.”
The Manchester United manager also carefully defended Pogba's stuttered run-up, which featured a tap-dancing 26 steps, after the Frenchman's penalty was well saved Jordan Pickford only for the England goalie to be left helpless to the rebound.
“The thing I like is the desire to take it. Let me choose the words, I don’t want to be punished.
“I don’t like Mickey Mouses, fragile, afraid to go, ‘I don’t take penalties.’ I like the player that I want to take it.
“The Crystal Palace boy today he missed against Everton and today two penalties he wants to take. Paul, can he improve? I think he can. The goalkeepers know his running, they don’t move and they are waiting for his decision so he has to learn from that but for me, the most important thing is he wants to go again.”
The victory saw United climb two places in the Premier League table into eighth but they remain nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments