After Manchester United answered pressing questions about their commitment and quality, Jose Mourinho put a finger to his lips, a message to the critics.
To the media, pundits and those observers who had doubted his side following a poor defeat at Huddersfield Town last weekend, an 81st minute winner from Anthony Martial to overcome title rivals Tottenham was the perfect riposte.
Mourinho said: “Some people speak too much, calm down, relax a little bit. Don’t speak too much, speak, speak, speak. Relax. Don’t be so excited, calm down.”
This game and United’s performance, though, did not offer too much in terms of excitement.
It was intriguing for those enamoured by defensive duels with the three-man backline deployed by both sides providing few opportunities until the entrance of Martial in the 70th minute.
There were audible boos when the Frenchman replaced the popular and lively Marcus Rashford, but a clever backheel instigated an instant chance for Romelu Lukaku as he forced Hugo Lloris into a strong save.
Mourinho makes his pointpic.twitter.com/O3I8CU3Vgb
— Sport360° (@Sport360) October 28, 2017
And, after Dele Alli had poked wide on the volley from a sublime Christian Eriksen pass, United pushed for a winner their second-half efforts just about merited.
Lukaku sent a downward header against the post, but it was route one that proved decisive rather than a moment of brilliance from the top players on show.
A long kick from David De Gea was flicked on powerfully by Lukaku into the path of Martial, who nipped in behind a dozing Eric Dier, and a scuffed finish beat Lloris.
“He scored with a bad shot but a bad shot sometimes can be a beautiful one,” said Mourinho.
But, having questioned the attitude and passion of his players in the loss at Huddersfield, they responded against a “very good team.”
“If the result is 0-0 if it’s 1-1, my feelings with the players and the team would be the same because I think they gave absolutely everything. Every ball was like the most important ball of their career.”
Spurs may not be a one-man team, but they missed their captain and talisman Harry Kane as they lacked an edge up front.
But boss Mauricio Pochettino added: “It was not an excuse for winning or losing this game as Harry was not here. You must always adapt when players are not fit to play.
“I feel we were at that same level. It was a game that was very competitive and you feel in the second half, the last 15 or 20 minutes, it would be a draw and only genius play or a mistake would change the game.
“We made a mistake. We could have been talking in a different way if Dele Alli scored as it was a clear chance but unlucky for us and luck for them meant we lost the game.”
