Paul Pogba was 'the best player on the pitch' against Chelsea claims Jose Mourinho

Manchester United fell to the Blues in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, N’Golo Kante scoring the only goal of the game after Ander Herrera was sent off in the first half

Paul Pogba's performance against Chelsea once again came in for scrutiny (Getty)

A defiant Jose Mourinho leapt to the defence of Paul Pogba claiming he was “the best player on the pitch” against Chelsea.

Mourinho’s Manchester United fell to the Blues in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, N’Golo Kante scoring the only goal of the game after Ander Herrera was sent off in the first half.

Pogba’s performance once again came in for scrutiny with fellow summer signing Kante comprehensively getting the better of the £90m man in the middle of the park.

But the United manager didn’t see it that way insisting his midfielder was the star of the show.

"We have to be positive, the players were phenomenal but Pogba was by far the best player on the pitch,” he said after the game.

"He was a giant on the pitch. After him, all my other boys were fantastic."

Mourinho, who hit back at Chelsea fans following abuse throughout the game, believes onlookers are jealous of Pogba’s profile and pay packet.

"The specialists will say a lot about him and it comes from envy,” he added. “They will never ever earn 10 per cent of what he does."