CL: Mourinho brash as Fellaini late show secures Man Utd last 16 place

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho boasted about his Champions League record after Marouane Fellainis injury time winner fired his side into the last 16 with a 10 win over Young Boys at Old TraffordThe threetime European champions sealed their place in the knockout stages with a slice of fortune when Fellaini controlled the ball with his hand before firing into the far corner provoking Mourinho to throw a box of water bottles to the ground in a mixture of joy and reliefFor some of my lovers for those who like stats 14 seasons in the Champions League 14 times qualify through the group phases said Mourinho on his personal record as boss of Porto Chelsea and Real Madrid as well as UnitedNever one of my teams stays behind the group phase The season I didnt play Champions League I won the Europa LeagueBut there was little for Mourinho to brag about from another laboured performance as United were on the verge of failing to score for a third consecutive European home game for the first time everThe most important thing is to qualify said Mourinho who has had to withstand a barrage of criticism this season for Uniteds poor results and insipid attacking footballIn keeping with Uniteds struggles under Mourinho it could have been even worse but for the brilliance of goalkeeper David de Gea who produced a stunning save from Ulisses Garcias deflected effort to deny Young Boys midway through the secondhalfFrom my position Davids save only one save in the whole game but it looks a phenomenal save said MourinhoA save that the best goalkeeper in the world does and gives his team the possibility to win the match Bold decisions backfire Mourinho made the bold decision to leave Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku on the bench and Alexis Sanchez out of his squad as his made six changes from a drab goalless draw with Crystal Palace on SaturdayMarcus Rashford was given his chance to start as centreforward but Mourinho was less than impressed with the 21yearold just five minutes in when he dinked his finish over the bar with just goalkeeper David von Ballmoos to beatThis is the type of game where if you score in the first minute normally you go for a different kind of performance but it is still very difficult for us to score responded Mourinho when asked about his exasperated reaction when Rashford missedIf I saw my manager react like that I would be absolutely livid Said former England striker Gary Lineker of Mourinhos responseAn initial flurry of excitement quickly died down as again Mourinhos men laboured to break down the Swiss champions who they beat 30 in Bern back in September thanks to a Pogba doubleMourinhos patience finally ran out as he summoned Pogba and Lukaku from the bench for the final quarterBut it was De Gea who came to the Red Devils rescue at the other end moments later with a remarkable save to claw Garcias deflected shot off the lineChristian Fassnacht then blazed over another glorious opportunity to give the visitors a famous winThey were made to pay when Fellaini was fortunate to not be seen controlling Lukakus flickon with his hand fired the winner into the far cornerFor me it was not handball insisted Fellaini I controlled the ball if it touched my hand it was not on purposeCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever