HIGHLIGHT – Mourinho
Jose Mourinho said Manchester United had only themselves to blame after being held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho
United had 20 shots, seven on target, and although Marcos Rojo opening the scoring they were pegged back when Josh King struck from the penalty spot shortly before the break.
And they missed a great chance to win the game in the second half when Zlatan Ibrahimovic saw his penalty stopped by Artur Boruc.
Mourino told Sky Sports: “What happened was that we played phenomenal in the first half and should have been winning 3-0 or 4-0 — then it ended up 1-1.
“Who can I blame? Ourselves. Nobody else. We missed big chances.
“In the second half we played different team with a man less. I understand their need for one point in the survival battle and they just defended to make it difficult for us.
“I understand that, and on top of that the goalkeeper was phenomenal.
“Sometimes it is easier, sometimes it is more difficult [to play against 10 men]. If we score a second goal at start of the second half then it is different and becomes easier.
“They did what teams normally do when teams have 10 men. I’m not blaming them for that.”
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An exciting first half had ended in controversy when Mings slid in on Rooney and then stamped on Ibrahimovic, who elbowed the defender in the face at a corner seconds later.
Both avoided red cards from referee Kevin Friend, but instead a second yellow card was shown to Bournemouth’s Andrew Surman — who had already been booked — for what appeared to be a shove in the middle of a melee.
Friend belatedly realised that Surman had already been booked and showed him a red card, but there was no further punishment for either Ibrahimovic — already in the book for dissent after the penalty — or Mings.
And Mourinho said: “The referee was there. If you ask me if I’m going to be happy if Mings gets a four or five-game ban, I really don’t care.
“He knows what he did better than anyone, better than the referee the intention or the emotion of the moment.
“The referee made two important decisions which were right — two penalties, no doubt about it.”
A Football Association source has told ESPN that disciplinary chiefs will wait for Friend’s match report before deciding whether to take any action against either Ibrahimovic or Mings.
