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MANCHESTER UNITED manager Jose Mourinho’s substitutions were slammed by two former players in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup Final on Saturday.
Eden Hazard netted the only goal of a disappointing game from the penalty spot on 22 minutes having been felled by Phil Jones in the box.
It was the first penalty to be scored in an FA Cup Final, other than in a shootout, since Ruud van Nistelrooy for Red Devils against Millwall in 2004.
But despite dominating possession in the second half, United failed to test a resolute Chelsea backline, condemning Mourinho to failure to guide his team to any silverware this season.
Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand, speaking to BT Sport, questioned Mourinho’s substitutions, particularly the decision to take off Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard in the 73 minute while leaving Alexis Sanchez, whose difficult start to his United career continued at Wembley, on the pitch.
“Jose’s substitutes, he brought Rashford and Lingard off just as they were starting to influence the game, I thought,” said Scholes, who lifted the FA Cup three times as a United player.
“I thought Jesse was just getting into those spaces, between the midfield and the back four. Rashford then had a great chance, made a great run and all of a sudden they were taken off.
“Sometimes those two local lads are the easy target. How Sanchez stayed on the pitch with them two creating problems as they were I have no idea.”
And Scholes’s former teammate Ferdinand agreed. He said: “We looked at each other and thought: ‘Wow, that’s a big call there,’ because Sanchez wasn’t playing well or influencing the game in any way, shape or form.
“Listen, the manager is paid to make big decisions. Today, in terms of substitutes, I don’t think he made the correct ones.”
After the game Mourinho cleared up his reasons for not starting Lukaku who had been sidelined for the last three matches with an ankle injury.
He said: “When a player tells you he is not ready to play, when the player tells you he is not ready to start the game, then the question is how many minutes you think you can?
“But how can I convince a player who tells me he is not ready to play? That makes no sense.”
Despite the result, Mourinho was happy with his side’s performance, declaring that he would be watching intently over the coming days to see what is written in the press.
He said: “I’m quite curious to, especially because now I’m on holidays and I have more time for that, I’m quite curious today, tomorrow the next couple of days to read, to watch, to listen your opinions.”