Jose Mourinho dedicated Manchester United’s victory over Burnley to Ed Woodward after a protest was held against the club’s executive vice-chairman by supporters before the game.
United earned a deserved but hard-fought win over Sean Dyche’s Burnley at Turf Moor through a first-half brace by Romelu Lukaku.
Marcus Rashford’s second-half red card for a clash of heads with Phil Bardsley, minutes after Paul Pogba’s missed penalty, threatened to derail United on their way to a much-needed three points.
Mourinho, whose name was chanted by a vocal United away end throughout the afternoon, hailed the travelling contingent and threw his coat into the crowd after the final whistle to show his appreciation.
A plane trailing the banner ‘Ed Woodward – A Specialist in Failure’ flew above Turf Moor before kick-off, after a summer of tension between Mourinho and the club’s executive vice-chairman.
When asked for his response to the fans’ protest, Mourinho said: “You know, in the match I am not looking to the sky – unless I am asking something for the guy to give me help. I didn’t see planes but Ed Woodward won this afternoon. He won 2-0.”
Mourinho also claimed that United’s support had been the catalyst for his side’s victory. The Portuguese pointedly applauded supporters after Monday’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
“I think we start winning this match because of Old Trafford after Spurs,” he said. “We lose at home, if the fans react bad, the team loses confidence, the team feels pressure and the next match is more difficult.
“We lost at home, the fans were amazing and understood the performance was good, the result was bad so it was not a sad week. I feel a bit sorry we didn’t score a couple of goals in front of them because it would be magic for them.”
When it was put to Mourinho that United’s fans had explicitly chanted his name after a week of speculation about his job, he said: “The manager is not important, the team is important. The manager does not play.
“I have miles and miles and miles on the touchline to cope with every different reaction from the crowd. I am really happy with the performance, the result and to give that good feeling to the fans. They are the biggest responsible for the week.”
