Jose Mourinho says victory over Manchester United 'was exactly what we wanted' despite critics of Chelsea display

The Blues won 1-0 despite being second best for much of the match

(Getty Images)

For Chelsea it was all about the result, for Manchester United it was about the performance. So both managers were happy.

Jose Mourinho could afford himself a sense of vindication on Saturday evening. His team had ground out a win over a far more fluent United side, and nothing else mattered.

Two weeks ago, after Chelsea beat Stoke City 2-1, Mourinho revealed what he told his former assistant, now Middlesbrough manager, Aitor Karanka: “1-0 in April is like 10-0 in September.” That was very much Chelsea’s attitude against United, and that was the result they got.

It felt like a match Mourinho had planned in advance, down to every touch and tackle. “I know how fantastic it was,” he said, “because the game was exactly what we wanted. The day before the game I told [Eden Hazard], ‘This game we will never lose, never’. But we needed to win.”

Chelsea did not play brilliantly, but they did play entirely on their own terms. They defended in excellent shape and allowed United to have most of the ball but, while the visitors did create a few chances – Wayne Rooney should have scored in the first half, Radamel Falcao in the second – they found far fewer routes to goal than they did recently against Liverpool or Manchester City.

“Tactically we got it right,” said the Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, “especially in the midfield, because they stretch and control the game. We had to work very hard. We answered them in all areas.”

Having seen how dangerous Marouane Fellaini had been for United in recent weeks, Mourinho drafted Kurt Zouma into midfield with a man-marking brief.

“I told Zouma that I want the game to be 10 against 10, not 11 against 11, and we are going to work during the week for that,” Mourinho said. “Today he stopped Fellaini from playing in the box.”

Mourinho had been using his imposing teenage midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek as a Fellaini model in training, but there was a brief scare before the game. The doorman at Chelsea’s hotel told Mourinho Fellaini was not playing, as he had arrived that morning in jeans to collect tickets from Hazard.

Mourinho was worried that this “did not smell well” but, with the help of Google image search, he found out that Fellaini’s brother Mansour looks just like Marouane, with the same expansive hairstyle. It might as well have been Mansour on the pitch, though, so well did Zouma shackle him. “He is doing amazing jobs for us,” Mourinho said.

Focused on defence, Chelsea had just 30 per cent possession. But Hazard can turn anything into danger, and he won the game with one well-taken finish. “He understands his role,” Mourinho said. “Especially in a moment when the team doesn’t have all its power, he understands when the game becomes strategic. He understands that his talent is fundamental for the team.”

Chelsea celebrate after Hazard scores the winner against United (Getty Images)

Mourinho did not want to talk about the title that is now inevitable, but his team had made clear why they are going to win the league. They have the best defence and the best attacking player.

United’s six-game winning league run ended but Louis van Gaal was just as pleased with his players afterwards as Mourinho was with his. They played attractive, attacking football in the first half but were held off after the goal. There was promise for the future, not least in the display of Luke Shaw at left-back. This was his first league game for two months, with Danny Blind injured, but he looked quick and sharp, making incisive runs to the byline.

Shaw agreed it was his best performance in a United shirt, and one he hopes to build on. “I felt really good,” he said. “I got forward a lot, but everyone was brilliant and we could have got more from the game. I wouldn’t say it has been a hard three weeks, but I have learnt more about myself.”

Despite his time on the sidelines, Shaw was full of praise for Van Gaal. “He has two sides to him, but he is a really nice guy and a great manager,” he said. “You have seen what he has turned United into in recent weeks.”

Arsenal may be the form team in the country but watching these two – Chelsea an efficient unit now, United a few signings away – felt like a pre-run of next year’s title race.