The 2-0 win at Anfield in 2014 to kill Liverpool‘s Premier League title hopes in the first season of a second spell as Chelsea manager instantly became one of his favourite results, so it’s not hard to imagine Saturday’s win over Manchester City will have been relished with extra glee by the now Manchester United manager.
No matter his public proclamations – the comments before the match that City sealing the title by beating United would not be the end of the world, the gracious congratulations offered to City manager Pep Guardiola right after the match, the claim all he cared about was getting the points needed to finish second this season – this win mattered to Mourinho and his team.
The question now is, did it matter enough?
Playing party-poopers, raining on their rivals’ parade, earning bragging rights in Manchester – these are not the chief motivations at United. The five largely disappointing seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson retired may have taken the sheen off the club ever so slightly, but it simply serves to bring into focus what United’s objective is: winning.
Players and managers come to the club, companies line up for all manner of sponsorship deals, fans show up at the stadium because this is a team used to winning major honours.
Mourinho took the United job because he wanted the challenge of making England’s biggest club England’s champions again. Paul Pogba, the hero of Saturday’s victory, left a comfortable berth at Juventus to win glory with his former side. So now they need to do just that, and a dramatic win over Manchester City is nowhere near enough.
Thierry Henry on Pogba: “I hope today he became a Man United player. It’s a big statement.” #mufc [Sky] pic.twitter.com/qpgg6ASQmQ
— United Xtra (@utdxtra) April 7, 2018
The remarkable comeback from 2-0 down at halftime was classic United, and the aftermath needs to be the same. This is no doubt a victory worth revelling in, but it will only be truly significant if this is a springboard, the first step on the path back to success.
This year’s title is still out of the realms of possibility – even for football’s amazing scripts, City coughing up a 13-point lead with only six games to play would be far-fetched – but United can lay down a marker for next season, letting their neighbours know their title defence won’t be easy. That more displays like Saturday’s are coming. That United are back.
It starts with the rest of this season, where United are perfectly capable of running the gauntlet and winning all of their remaining six league fixtures. Five of those are against teams currently in the bottom half of the table and the sixth is a home game against Arsenal which United would back themselves to win. Pull that off, and they will end this season on an 11-game winning streak – and that will be making a statement.
There’s also an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham and potentially a final against Chelsea – two more wins which could be statement victories, as well as bringing them a trophy.
The goal for 2018-19 is already title or bust – another season of being “competitive” won’t be enough – so going into the season on the back of a strong second-place finish, the momentum of an 11-game winning streak, and a trophy will give them the confidence it’s an achievable goal.
Getting a moral victory on the back of a derby win while the other team in the city goes on to win trophies – that was Manchester City’s role, for over two decades.
Manchester United can’t let it become theirs. Saturday’s win only matters if it serves as the dawn of a new era.
