At home and in bars and pubs, millions cursed the grim failure of this match to live up to the billing. But one man was happy. The scrappier it was, the more José Mourinho knew it was going perfectly to plan. The more this game defied form and expectations, which had been built around Liverpool showing off all their slick prowess, the happier Mourinho could be in his spoiling tactics. Quote him a figure of 35 per cent possession (subsequently disputed by the Manchester United manager) that Opta claimed to be a famously cavalier club’s lowest in more than a…

Source: The Times October 17, 2016 23:03 UTC