Jose Mourinho reacts to 'unbelievable' red card against Manchester United: 'He's the best referee in the world'

Jose Mourinho was at his best when he described referee Clement Turpin as the “best in the world” after he was sent off during Fenerbahce's draw with his former club Manchester United in the Europa League.

Mourinho was sent to the stands after calling for a penalty when Bright Osayi-Samuel went down in the box following a foul from Manuel Ugarte. His Fenerbahce team had just equalized through Youssef En-Nesyri.

The 61-year-old watched the rest of the game from a step behind the dugout as Fenerbahce secured a point against Erik ten Hag's side before Mourinho added another blockbuster while speaking to television.

Mourinho said it was “unbelievable” that referee Turpin had seen his behavior on the touchline while simultaneously assessing Fenerbahce's penalty call and he did not hold back when discussing the incident.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he told TNT Sports when asked about his red card. “The referee told me something unbelievable. At the same time he said he could see the action in the penalty area and my behavior on the touchline.

“I congratulate him because he is absolutely incredible. During the game, 100 miles an hour, he had an eye on the penalty situation and an eye on my behavior on the bench. That’s why he’s one of the best referees in the world.”

Mourinho also insisted Fenerbahce deserved to win the game, saying his team had put in an “extraordinary performance”. United were saved by an excellent performance from goalkeeper Andre Onana, who Mourinho named man of the match.

“They got a point against us, not us against them. We played great. If we play like that in the Turkish league, we will destroy everything because of course we played against a team that has a higher level than us. The Premier League has more quality, more intensity and more everything.

“I think my boys played a great game. In England we're probably talking about two or three Manchester United players who didn't play. You don't know how many of us didn't play. At the beginning we had four players who didn't play. We had to solve a crazy puzzle. I couldn't expect more from the players.

Mourinho was in disbelief at Onana's stunning double save to deny En-Nesyri. He grinned and raised his hands on the sideline as if to say Onana's double save wasn't possible.

“Andre Onana made two fantastic saves. They scored in a situation we knew they could. We performed phenomenally,” he added to TNT Sports.

“Come on, he saved the result. My goalkeeper didn't save, he made two impossible saves in 10 seconds. He was the most crucial player in the result. Of course he didn’t make 20, but he made two.” That was incredible.

“I know the English media will say Manchester United didn't play well, but I think it would be fair to say we played an exceptional game and were better than them. A good result for Manchester United.”