What Did I Just Watch?
First of all, the red card was entirely fair according to the rulebook. It’s a huge mistake by Vini, and I’m so tired of these reckless moments. What was he thinking pulling Saliba’s hair? He’s easily fast enough to beat him on pure pace. We went from being comfortably in control at 1–0 to suddenly fighting for survival a player down. He owes the entire squad a massive apology, because it took absolute tactical genius from Mourinho to save the night.
The moment Vini walked off, Jose locked down the game completely, pulling off Arda Güler for Eduardo Camavinga and building a brick wall in front of Thibaut Courtois. Props to Mou for his masterclass in game management. Between Rüdiger and Konaté clearing every cross, Courtois making five huge saves, and the midfield suffocating every central lane, we absorbed Villarreal’s late pressure and dragged ourselves over the finish line. It was classic defensive resilience at its absolute finest, turning a moment of total carelessness from Vinícius into a tactical clinic to secure all three points.
This is what Mourinho-ball is all about...