Middlesbrough 1, Manchester United 3: Jose Mourinho aims further dig at Chelsea as United win to move above Arsenal
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho blasted a lack of loyalty in football and aimed a further dig at former club Chelsea after his side beat Middlesbrough to move fifth in the Premier League.
In the first Boro match since friend Aitor Karanka’s sacking, United stormed into a two-goal lead thanks to Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard, while Rudy Gestede’s strike for the hosts proved in vain as Antonio Valencia settled matters late on.
Victory moved United above Arsenal into fifth place, four points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, as Steve Agnew’s Boro stayed deep in the relegation mire, five points adrift of safety.
Asked if his side’s win was justice for Karanka, who was fired on Thursday, Mourinho said: “Justice for Karanka is the work he did here. People can’t believe the good things we do at clubs, but it doesn’t matter what happens.
“I was sacked by Chelsea, people now don’t like me but nobody can go there and repeat what I did. Aitor came here with 8,000 or 10,000 people in the stadium, almost going down to League One.
“He goes to the play-off final, could leave but decides to stay, gets promotion. He could have left for better.”
Fellaini gave United a 30th minute lead with a header from Ashley Young’s cross, while shortly after the hour mark Lingard rifled home a 25-yard piledriver, as the Boro defence backtracked, to double their advantage.
Gestede halved the arrears with a close-range finish, only for Valencia to tap into an empty net following a calamitous slip from former United goalkeeper Victor Valdes.