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Published 08:27 12 Nov 2018 GMT
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"He was phenomenal in his effort but he was not in the condition to do it," Mourinho explained.
"And normally, I bring Fellaini to this game in the latest part of the game.
"Imagine this game with Fellaini coming on at 2-1 fresh with 25 minutes to go.
"That’s an important thing for us."
Of course, £50m summer signing Fred was on the bench for United. The Brazilian could have started the game in midfield, which would have allowed Mourinho to use Fellaini has his plan B, introducing him to the game late on to create chaos.
Such a tactic proved effective against Juventus in midweek, as Fellaini came off the bench to inspire a comeback. But Mourinho apparently didn't have this option on Sunday, as he had to play Fellaini from the start.
Mourinho also insisted that United did not perform badly, but simply made a few costly errors.
"I think it is not a bad performance at all,"the Portuguese said.
"It was a performance with mistakes and we paid for it. All three goals are our mistakes. Against a team like City, if you make mistakes you will get punished.
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