Jose Mourinho comes out firing following Manchester United's defensive display at Anfield: Liverpool are not the last wonder of the world
* Liverpool and Manchester United played out goalless draw at Anfield
* The home side were subdued by a strong defensive display from United
* United boss Jose Mourinho defended his side's tactics after the match
Jose Mourinho defended his tactics after Manchester United stifled Liverpool on a night of huge anti-climax at Anfield.
It was only the second goalless draw in 25 years and 60 meetings between the two biggest rivals in English football.
But Mourinho was clearly irked by criticism of his team, accusing Liverpool of being just as defensive.
'Liverpool are a very good team,' he said. 'You like to say the last wonder of the world in attacking football, but they are also a team that plays and thinks defensively.
'We stopped them from playing but they also did very well from the defensive point of view. They played Emre Can andJordan Henderson for some reason and did that for 90 minutes. They normally project more players in attack. They were very cautious and kept Can and Henderson in position.
'Last season United won here and Liverpool had 14 shots on target. How many today? Two. Sixty-five per cent possession and two shots. You have to be critical of Liverpool not of us - it's their problem not our problem.'
Mourinho bizarrely reappeared at the post-match press conference to point out that United's own statisticians had worked out that his side had 42 per cent of possession, and not 35 per cent as officially stated.
Jose Mourinho roars instructions from the sideline during his side's clash with Liverpool
'That's what we planned. We knew they wanted to press forward,' he added.
'It was a very difficult game for us and for them - more difficult for them than for us.
'We started really well and were completely in control. We controlled the emotions of the game. We could influence the crowd. They were waiting for an easy match.'
Asked about the performance of referee Anthony Taylor, having risked an FA charge by discussing the pressure on the Manchester-based official before the game, Mourinho replied: 'Can I speak about the referee without being punished? OK. He had a good game and I am happy for him because people with responsibilities put a lot of pressure on him and it was very difficult for him to have a good performance, which he did.'
United goalkeeper David de Gea produced two fantastic saves to deny Can and Phillipe Coutinho in the second half, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed United's best chance wide.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he wasn't surprised by United's negative tactics, saying: 'The game from the first second was very hectic, which maybe was what Man United wanted and what we didn't want. It was to their advantage not ours.
'We lost patience much too early and our passing game wasn't good. We tried everything, only with the wrong tools.
'I didn't expect that we would have 10-15 chances, but De Gea was finally warm and made brilliant saves. That's how he plays when he plays at Liverpool. It was similar last year. He obviously loves games against Liverpool.
'They had that chance with Ibrahimovic that he usually takes but in the second half maybe we would have deserved the win.'
Asked if the cautious way United set up was a compliment to his team, Klopp replied: 'I'm pretty sure the last thing Jose Mourinho wants to do is pay a compliment to my team.'
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