Jose Mourinho has defended Chris Smalling for his physical approach against Lionel Messi in the Champions League.
The Manchester United defender showed his quality with an impressive display against the Argentine international during Barcelona's 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Speaking ahead of the game Smalling said he was relishing the prospect of facing the Barcelona forward and the 29-year-old surprised many with the manner in which he dealt with his threat.
Messi was left with a bloodied face following an aerial challenge for the ball with Smalling in the first-half, however Mourinho does not believe there to have been any malice behind the incident.
“I don’t know if they did or if it was Messi who decided to be quiet. I think a little bit of both. United was positively aggressive,” Mourinho said on RT.
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“That situation with Smalling and Messi is nothing. It happens. He’s just a tall guy with tall arms. I don’t think he has that intention. But they thought about him. And they have to think about him.
"By the defensive point of view they were good, keeping a lot of people behind the ball. But again there are two legs, you will have to go away in the second game. If it was a group phase, where one point would be a positive result... They could, because Barcelona never killed the game."
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