Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho highlighted a Manchester United player’s performance following a lively Europa League draw between his current and former clubs.
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Under Erik ten Hag, United managed to quiet the passionate home crowd when Christian Eriksen scored the opening goal 15 minutes in, capitalizing on a counter-attack to net his fourth goal of the season.. Continue Reading
Just before halftime, Andre Onana made an impressive double-save to keep Fenerbahce at bay, though the hosts found a well-deserved equalizer early in the second half with a header from Youssef En-Nesyri.
Although neither team could secure a victory, the final 40 minutes were anything but quiet, with Mourinho receiving a red card after contesting a penalty decision against Fenerbahce.
Mourinho, who left Manchester United in 2018, praised his team’s performance in the 1-1 draw, noting that Onana had “saved” United.
‘Onana made two incredible saves in our fantastic initial period,’ Mourinho told TNT Sports.
‘Come on, he saved the result. My keeper didn’t make a save, he made two impossible saves.
‘I think he was the most decisive player. He didn’t make 20 saves but two were incredible, Onana can do it.
‘We were better than them so it’s a good result for Manchester United.’
On the game as a whole, Mourinho added: ‘They got a point against us, we didn’t get a point against them. We played amazing.
‘We will destroy every team if we play like this in the league. United are a superior level, the Premier League has more quality, more intensity, more everything. ‘My boys did an amazing match.’
Mourinho refused to discuss the non-penalty decision which led to him being sent to the stands but questioned referee Clement Turpin.
‘I don’t want to speak about it,’ Mourinho said before being asked what the officials told him when he visited their dressing room after the match.
‘He told me something incredible, he said at the same time he could see the action in the box and my behaviour on the touchline.
‘I congratulate him because that is incredible, to have that peripheral vision. He had one eye on the box and one eye on me, that’s why he’s one of the best refs in the world.
‘I watched the incident, I don’t speak about it.’
The 1-1 draw in Istanbul was United’s third successive draw in the Europa League this campaign and leaves them 21th out of 36 in the table.
Asked about his impressive save, Onana said: ‘The saves are not important, the most important thing is the victory for the team.
‘It is nice if I make those kinds of saves and the team wins. It is a big disappointment.’
The Cameroonian shot-stopper added: ‘It is a big disappointment for me and the fans, for the club, as a Manchester United player you have an obligation to try to win.
‘It is what we tried to do today, but we also have to recognise it is a tough place to win.
‘We didn’t win, but at least we didn’t lose, Not happy of course, but we move on, take responsibility and go again.
‘We had more control than them in the second half and more chances. We conceded an early goal in the second half, we had to show character and I think that is what we did.
‘We didn’t win but I thought we were better than them.’
