Jose Mourinho declared on Sunday night that he believed his own supporters were entitled to boo Marouane Fellaini after fans reacted angrily to the sight of the Belgian warming up during the second half of Manchester United's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.

The boos, for a player who incurred ironic cheering here two seasons ago, were described by match commentator Gary Neville as “poor to see.” They were in part a reaction to the late penalty the midfielder conceded against his old club Everton last week. But Mourinho said that any response the fans gave had to be considered acceptable in his eyes and he refused to say he was unhappy with them.

“I accept it because from the fans you have to accept everything and especially fans that are giving so much without getting so much,” he said. “The only things they are getting are honesty, professionalism dedication but not the results they expect. They have in their mind the mistake that Marouane did at Everton and no more than that. He is a player and a person I like and the person is more important. He will always have my protection and my trust.”

Mourinho, who said that his man-of-the-match Henrikh Mkhitaryan should miss only two weeks of football after being stretchered off with an ankle injury, said that his side felt that a Premier League title could be theirs one day soon, after victory over Tottenham brought their first consecutive wins in over two months.

Mourinho refused to get into criticism of Tottenham’s Danny Rose for the cynical tackle from which Mkhitaryan fel awkwardly, twisting his left ankle. Asked if it was a bad challenge, he said: “I don’t know.” Asked if the player would miss the next few games – at Crystal Palace on Wednesday and West Bromwich next Saturday - he replied: “I would say [yes]. The injury doesn’t look like a big one. It doesn’t look like one needing surgery or months of recovery. It depends always on the player – the physiology and the psychology.”

The Portuguese had declared in the match programme that he believes Manchester United are in the Premier League top three for performances. After Mkhitaryan’s goal secured victory, he added:

“In terms of the evolution of the team … the result is just a plus and if our objective is to improve and improve and improve and arrive one day as soon as possible to the title, the evolution would not suffer with a defeat but we still have our ambitions this season and to win this match puts in a position where we can fill them. We are in touch with fifth, with fourth. We were six points from Tottenham. If we lose, it is nine.”

Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings David de Gea - 7 Notably collided with Phil Jones in the first half to spill the ball in his own box but was rarely tested. When he was, he looked composed as ever. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Eric Bailly - 7 Looked solid and confident on his return. Did the basics well and was rarely beaten when one-on-one. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Chris Smalling - 7 Did very little wrong at the back but neither did he particularly impress. Held the line and was part of a compact backline that kept Spurs' front men out. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Phil Jones – 6 A performance that improved with time. Started the game as not overly assured and was guilty of a few misplaced passes. Clashed with his ‘keeper to hand Sissoko a chance of goal in the first half. His second 45 minutes were much better. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Antonio Valencia - 6 Another respectable performance. Made a stinging shot on goal in the second half that came within a whisker of the top-left corner. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Ander Herrera - 6 Had the chance to make a point today against a big side but couldn't stamp his authority on the game. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Nemanja Matic - 8 A very solid and rounded Matic display. Did the basics, offering an extra layer of defence in front of United's backline. Made the most tackles, blocks and passes. Man of the match. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Ashley Young - 8 Took great delight in getting under Dele Alli’s skin but held his own when put under pressure on the back foot. Made some vital interceptions and tackles. Excellent performance in all. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 5 Created few chances in his central role. Went missing for much of the match and was hauled off with 25 minutes to go. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Romelu Lukaku - 6 Another game were Lukaku's influence game and went. It took until the latter stages of the game when he enjoyed two good chances on goal. Nonetheless, it's in games like these where he needs to be taking control and asserting himself - which he didn't. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Marcus Rashford - 6 One of the few players in first half who injected United with any real passion and desire. But struggled to offer enough up front. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Hugo Lloris - 6 Read United’s forward game well to make a series of interceptions and clearances. Reliable as ever in between the sticks with his shot-stopping. Couldn't do much about Martial's goal. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Toby Alderweireld - 5 Had enjoyed a respectable game up until his role in Martial's game. He completely misjudged De Gea's throw, allowing Lukaku to nod on the ball to the French forward. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Eric Dier - 5 One of Tottenham’s weaker players. His sloppy passes and touches handed United possession on a number of occasions. Was easily brushed aside by Martial for United's goal. Should have done better. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Jan Vertonghen - 6 Not much to shout about regarding Vertonghen. Didn't make as many mistakes as his defensive teammates. Solid game. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Serge Aurier - 6 Pushed on down the flank to keep Ashley Young busy. Involved in some neat link-up play, too. Quiet second half. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Moussa Sissoko - 6 Tried his luck with numerous shots on goal that were seriously underwhelming to say the least. Should have made the most of these opportunities. Still, made a number of chances and certainly made his presence felt. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Harry Winks - 6 Still finding his feet on the main stage but looked bright when surging forward with the ball at feet. Struggled to instill much creativity in his Tottenham side though. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Ben Davies - 6 Drifted in and out of the game. Made a vital goal-mouth clearance in the second half but wasn't as effective going forward. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Dele Alli - 6 Perhaps spent more of his game attempting to keep his emotions in check as opposed to focusing on his actual game. Livened up but failed to take his big chance towards the end. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Christian Eriksen - 6 A surprisingly quiet game from the Dane. Only started to have a real influence when he was shifted to the right of midfield towards the latter stages of the match. Manchester United vs Tottenham player ratings Son Heung-min - 6 Failed to terrorise United's backline in the same way he did Liverpool's. Couldn't offer his teammates what Harry Kane does. A largely ineffective target man.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted that the failure to kick on after beating Manchester City in late September, with defeats now to Chelsea and United and a draw against Arsenal, was “disappointing.” The side are now ten points off the top.

Pochettino said: “The concern is not too much. The Premier League is tough and Chelsea started very badly and for different circumstances they change the system and look where they are now. There is [not] too much time to recover the gap.” Asked if the team had fallen short in big games, he said: “Yes, if you take results without context maybe yes, but with all the context I can explain what happen after that, many little things that happen in the team. Yes, I agree with your comment.”