Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho took a thinly-veiled dig at Arsene Wenger after seeing his side progress to the EFL Cup Final.
United held a 2-0 lead over semi-final opponents Hull from the first leg going into Thursday’s game at the KCOM stadium.
Tom Huddlestone’s penalty was cancelled out by Paul Pogba before full debutant Oumar Niasse ended United’s 17-game unbeaten run with a late strike at the far post, but Mourinho’s side advanced on aggregate.
John Moss was refereeing his first game since Arsenal’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Burnley on Sunday, in which the official awarded two penalties and sent off both Granit Xhaka and Arsene Wenger.
It is understood Wenger was asked to leave the dugout after calling Moss a cheat and has accepted a charge following a further altercation with fourth official Anthony Taylor in the tunnel.
Mourinho appeared pleased Thursday’s match at Hull passed without similar incident in a not-so-subtle pop at his managerial rival.
“I just want to say congratulations to my players because it was a difficult to [get] in the final, and we are in the final,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.
“I don’t want to say anything else because it’s enough. I’m calm, I behaved on the bench, not sent off, no punishment, so no more words.”
His calm manner came despite the Portuguese suggesting he disagreed with Moss’s decision to award the hosts a first-half spot-kick.
“I think 18 matches unbeaten is amazing,” the United manager added. “We didn’t lose. It was 1-1. I only saw two goals.
“I saw Pogba’s goal and their (second) goal – a fantastic goal, a great action, a great cross and the guy coming in at the far post, coming. 1-1. We are still unbeatable.”
And Mourinho went on to issue a swipe at Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after United succeeded where Liverpool had failed just 24 hours earlier.
The Reds lost 1-0 at Anfield and 2-0 on aggregate in the other semi-final as Claude Puel’s Southamton booked a spot at the national stadium.
Klopp complained that ‘the wind was really strange’ after the game when asked why his team had underperformed.
And Mourinho said after the win at Hull: “It doesn’t matter against who or where, we are never favourites.
“Normally the stadium [Wembley] is windy and it’s difficult.”
COMMENTS