Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho insisted Chelsea did not deserve their FA Cup victory at Wembley.
Eden Hazard’s first-half penalty was enough for the Blues, who were forced to defend for much of the second half.
Former Chelsea manager Mourinho congratulated each member of the winning team after the final whistle.
But he said: “I congratulated them because they won – but I don’t think they deserved to win.
“I congratulate them because I am a sportsman and they scored one more goal than us and they get the cup.
“I think I have to do what my job asked me to do. I have to be respectful, not just because they are my previous club but because the are the opponent that won the cup.
“I don’t think we deserved to win. I think we were the best team. But that’s football.
“If my team played like Chelsea did I can imagine what everybody would be saying.
“They were really defensive. There was a huge block of players compact in front of goal.”
Mourinho was unable to start with ex-Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who came on as a second-half substitute.
Lukaku, who has been nursing an ankle injury, was named on the bench following a fitness test.
Mourinho said: “It was a bit hard for us to play without Lukaku against a team that defended with nine players. You need that presence in the box.”
This post was last modified on 19/05/2018