Mourinho believes Lukaku has 'improved a lot'

Cape Town - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was hugely satisfied with the performances of his players during the team's 4-1 victory against Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Following a string of missed opportunities for maximum points - against Crystal Palace, Southampton and Arsenal - Manchester United reminded its football base what it was actually capable of this weekend.

Granted, the win was against a Fulham team which is staring relegation in the face this campaign. However, Mourinho told journalists the quality of his team's performance far outweighed the result or the quality of the opposition this weekend.

The Red Devils are currently sixth in the Premier League standings and struggling to secure a spot in European competition next season. This is as strong a sign as any that Mourinho's team still has a considerable amount to offer this campaign, even in the face of adversity.

"The team was clearly there to win and clearly there to give everything," said Mourinho.

"When you give everything, you know nobody can point the finger at you. Even if the opposition is better than you and beats you, that's football. That's the nature of competition," added Mourinho.

One player constantly under severe scrutiny is Romelu Lukaku. The jury is out on whether that scrutiny is justified though. Mourinho refused to entertain any criticism about him either this weekend.

"I think Romelu's performance improved a lot, in relation to previous matches," said Mourinho.

"Not because of the goal but the way he was pressing and fighting for the team. We were a compact unit that gave no chance to Fulham in the first-half."

"What I really want is not one single United fan can point the finger at us by saying we don't give everything - also against Arsenal," added Mourinho.

Manchester United dropped points against Arsenal in their previous league fixture, at Old Trafford.

"A result we don't want but the kind of performance [against Arsenal], independent of the result, that people respect the effort," explained the United mentor.