Manchester United succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to European Champions Real Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup final at Skopje, Macedonia, and even so, manager Jose Mourinho said he was pleased with his side's performance.
Mourinho's side fell short of what could've been his fifth European trophy of his career, even with new signing Romelu Lukaku's goal giving them hope after Casemiro and Isco had given the Spanish club 2-0 lead near the start of the second half.
Asked about his opinion on the game, he said: "I think we did well, I think we lost to one goal which shows the result was really short and one of their goals was an offside. With a good VAR system it would be 1-1 and extra-time."
According to The Standard, the Portuguese manager also went on to say that his side deserved some rest and would be ready for their first Premier League match against West Ham.
As reported by The Express, Mourinho reserved high praise for his squad, saying: "I'm so happy to be the manager of these guys, I told them a few days ago that during my long career I never had a group that I liked so much, like I like them."
The United boss was impressed with both his summer signings Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The £110m new signings played the full 90 minutes in Macedonia as United were outclassed by Champions League holders Real Madrid.
Speaking about Matic, he said: "I think in the moments where they were moving more the ball, of course it was difficult for us in the midfield,"
"In our period of dominance he was what we want him to be: to move the ball in a simple way, to give balance to the team, to start building from the back," said Mourinho.
Lukaku had a mixed evening in the Philip II Arena suffering a dreadful close range miss before the 24-year-old Belgian redeemed himself by scoring United's only goal.
"Of course he missed a chance with an open goal, but he scored his goal.
"He had a good fight against two good central defender and I am happy with this period and how he fits into - I am never tired to repeat - an amazing group."
