• Group of fans made plane protest against vice-chairman • ‘In the match I am not looking to the sky. I didn’t see planes’

José Mourinho described Manchester United’s victory at Burnley as a win for Ed Woodward after the club’s vice-chairman was labelled “a specialist in failure” in the skies above Turf Moor.

United ended a troubled week with a comfortable defeat of Sean Dyche’s side despite having Marcus Rashford sent off and Joe Hart saving Paul Pogba’s second-half penalty. Romelu Lukaku struck twice before half-time as the visitors responded impressively to Monday’s 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham and growing criticism of their manager.

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Mourinho’s name was chanted throughout the 2-0 win by United’s support and he acknowledged their backing by approaching the away end after the final whistle, handing over his coat by way of a thank you. Woodward, by contrast, was condemned as a “specialist in failure” – words Mourinho once used to describe Arsène Wenger – in a banner that trailed a plane flown over Turf Moor before kick-off. The protest had been paid for by a United supporters’ group, A Voice from the Terrace.

“You know, in the match I am not looking to the sky unless I am asking something for the guy to give me help,” said the United manager of the pre-match show. “I didn’t see planes but Ed Woodward won this afternoon. He won 2-0.”

Mourinho credited Old Trafford’s reaction to the Spurs defeat as key to the improvement and victory at Burnley. Asked if he was delighted with the second win of the season, he replied: “I am, and I think some of you must be disappointed because it would be much better if we lose. But I think the performance was very good and very good since the first ball we touched.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The banner trailed from the plane that flew over Turf Moor. Photograph: Conor Molloy/Action Plus via Getty Images

“I think after 10 minutes we were playing so, so well, and we were losing quite easy chances that I had a double feeling. I had a feeling of more Tottenham can happen but also a feeling that playing this way we have to win. Then we should kill the game much earlier, we should win the match for a bigger result, but the performance was very good, very solid and important points.”

He added: “I think we start winning this match because of Old Trafford after Spurs. We lose at home, if the fans react bad, the team loses confidence, the week is not a good week, the team feels pressure and the next match is even more difficult. We lost at home, the fans were amazing to the team, the team understood that the direction was good, the result was bad.

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“The week was not a sad week. It was a very good week of work and we started the week as you saw. Then the fans of course were together with the team, especially in the way the team was playing and I feel a bit sorry that we didn’t score a couple of goals in front of them because that would be magic for them.”

Mourinho praised the contributions of Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini at Turf Moor and insisted he was happy for Pogba to remain on penalties if he wished. But he admitted Rashford was naive for rising to provocation by Phil Bardsley and inviting a three-match suspension by pressing his forehead into the former United defender.

“Moss [referee Jon] had a good game, really,” he said. “I think the same of the two assistants and in that action the only thing I can say is that probably the experience of Bardsley, with 20 years of football, against the impulse and naivety of a guy that is on top football for about three years but is still a young kid. Harsh? I don’t know, you could give a yellow card for both and keep going.”