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Jose Mourinho

MANCHESTER. – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho claimed drawing level with Manchester City at the top of the English Premier League soccer table did not enter his mind following their 4-0 win over Everton on Sunday.

United have the same points and goal difference as Pep Guardiola’s side after goals from Antonio Valencia, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial secured an emphatic victory over the Toffees.

“I didn’t think one single second about Man City,” Mourinho said. “I thought about Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool. “They didn’t win their matches and it was a chance for us to get two points like they got last week when we drew against Stoke. I was just thinking about them, not City. City won their game, they did their job. There is clearly a difference in relation to last season. We played better and we score more goals.”

Mourinho felt the margin of victory, secured courtesy of three goals in the final seven minutes, was not flattering and reflected the dominance of his side.

“I think if the result was 2-0 or 3-0 after 30 minutes I would say a clear reflection of fantastic football we played in the first 30-35 minutes, ultra-dominant against a team that defended with five, with four, I think we played phenomenal.

“The 2-0 came and after that the third and fourth goal are just a consequence of a team that are sad and another team that is happy. It was probably our best performance of the season.”

Mourinho also dismissed reports that an injury suffered by France midfielder Paul Pogba in their Champions League win over Basel could see him on the sidelines for up to three months. “I don’t know if it is 12 weeks or 12 days, honestly,” Mourinho explained.

“Any comment, any rumour is totally wrong because we don’t know if it is 12 weeks or 12 days. The player was diagnosed initially after the match. Because of the muscle and the bleeding the decision was to wait one more week and to discover clearly in the scans. Nobody in this club talked about 12 days or 12 weeks. “It is an injury in the hamstring. But we have normal procedure and we wait a few more days. It is nonsense information.”

Everton striker Wayne Rooney was afforded a generous reception by the home fans on his Old Trafford return and left to a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 82d minute. – AFP.