Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has stressed that the Red Devils deserved to be in second spot, having accumulated more points than their near rivals. The Mancunian giants have come for criticism for their style of play, but Mourinho remains focused on maintaining the position for the remainder of the season.

Speaking after the game, he said: “Manchester City is not important for me. Important for me is that since the moment we left the first position and went to second, we stayed there for the whole of the season.We deserved to feel second in spite of what you can say, the critics you make, you all say the third, fourth, fifth, sixth are better than us but they are not better than us because we have more points than them.”

United had fallen behind Liverpool earlier in the day after their opponents picked up a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. However, the Reds’ advantage did not last long with United scoring two goals in the space of just 20 minutes against Swansea City. There were more chances for either side during the second period, but ultimately, there were no further additions during the game.

With the victory, United once again have a two-point lead over Liverpool with a game in hand, but they face a difficult challenge next weekend where they contest Manchester City on the road. The Citizens can win the title with a victory over their cross-town rivals, but as neutrals, we can be rest assured that Mourinho may opt for an ultra-defensive approach to grab at least a point.

Pep Guardiola’s side likewise have a key Champions League quarter-final tie against Liverpool with the legs on either side of the Manchester derby, but the Catalan tactician has usually tended to play his strongest team on the day irrespective of the limited resting time between matches.