Mourinho had actually come up with similar words the last time he was in such a situation, when Chelsea so epically denied Liverpool in April 2014. Second, it showed that the players are still listening to him, that his words really registered – that he got a positive reaction out of them.The latter is why this could be a genuinely significant victory for the Mourinho reign. To actually go and win the game, there was the significant second-half improvement in some of the most discussed and under-scrutiny players: Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez. It showed that the fundamentals of a team are there.Whether Mourinho can actually overtake City in the long term is another question, of course. This win emphasised that, at the very least, the foundation for such an assault is there.

Source: Economic Times April 08, 2018 18:11 UTC