Manchester United news: Jose Mourinho refuses to hold press conference after win and rages over 'red card' tackle

Mourinho spoke with rights-holders Sky Sports but refused to speak to the rest of the media

Jose Mourinho chose not to speak to the press after Manchester United's 3-1 victory over Northampton Town (Getty)

Jose Mourinho refused to attend a post-match press conference following Manchester United’s 3-1 victory in their EFL Cup clash against Northampton Town because he was “not contractually bound” to speak to the media after the game.

Mourinho faced the possibility of yet a fourth consecutive setback when Northampton levelled the match at 1-1 in the first half, but goals from Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford added to Michael Carrick’s opener and secure United a safe passage through to the fourth round.

Unfortunately for United, the draw for the next round – which took place immediately after the match – saw them pitted against rivals Manchester City just 11 days after they suffered defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Yet any thoughts Mourinho had over the draw remained private as he chose not to hold a post-match press conference, given that EFL Cup rules do not enforce managers to speak to the media like they have to in the Premier League.

Having ended a run of three straight defeats, fans would have been forgiven for believing Mourinho could see light at the end of the tunnel, but instead he appeared to be in no mood to speak to the awaiting journalists who were gathered at the end of the tunnel, as The Independent’s Ian Herbert revealed.

Instead, Mourinho gave a short interview to Sky Sports for the television broadcast, where he claimed the win was “deserved” and reiterated his anger over the decision not to send off Jak McCourt for his second-half foul on Memphis Depay that produced a booking for the midfielder.

"I think I should stop speaking about referees' decisions. I should be waiting for you to speak about (them) - some with honest vision, some with dishonest vision," he said.

"A couple of minutes ago I told about the red card because it's really a dangerous situation.

"I'm not speaking about the penalty against Man City, I'm speaking about a situation that could (cause) an important injury, and even in this kind of situation I should stop and leave with you, some honest, some dishonest."

He added: "We deserved to win clearly. (It was as) difficult as I was expecting, but we were totally in control for the first 35 minutes and then we were again in control for the last 45.

"The team was in control from the beginning and the substitutions were just a contribution but overall the team was completely in control.

"The game could and should have been easier because normally it's easier against 10 men and we should have been playing against 10 men very early in the second half.

Mourinho celebrated United's first victory in four matches in front of the away fans (Getty)

"But they fought, they played with their strength and they tried to create us problems, which they did sometimes.

"So, difficult match but overall a positive performance."