What did Mourinho say that made MU play "possessed" in the second half?
The Portuguese strategist warned that his students would be turned into "clowns" if Man City defeated MU to win the Premier League at Etihad Stadium.
Going into the Manchester derby, Man City only need to win 3 more points to be crowned champions 5 rounds early.
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| Mourinho helped MU turn the situation around in the Manchester derby. |
Pep Guardiola's side came very close to their goal when they took a 2-0 lead after the first 45 minutes, with goals from Kompany and Gundogan.
However, the Red Devils refused to give up. They completely transformed in the second half. Paul Pogba shone with a lightning-fast double to level the score at 2-2, before Smalling tapped in from close range to help the visitors make an incredible comeback.
At halftime, Mourinho had some "provocative" words, waking up his students. Smalling admitted on Sky Sports:
"Coach Mourinho didn't say much because at that time, the team's morale was low due to the poor performance in the first half.
He stressed that he did not want us to be turned into clowns watching Man City step up to the championship.
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| Smalling scored the decisive goal for MU. |
Then everyone saw us stand up strong. Down 0-2 at a place where Man City had been playing explosively all season - MU gradually leveled the gap and won.
Contrary to the pitiful image after the first 45 minutes, after the break, the entire MU team played with high determination and pride. We achieved a worthy result."
Smalling himself, who was directly at fault for Kompany's opening goal, also said he was satisfied with his individual performance.
"When you make a mistake, you want a chance to make it up to me. Luckily, I did that today."