Jose Mourinho has claimed that Manchester United "were the best team" and "deserved" their 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion.

First-half goals from Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard gave the Red Devils a two-goal cushion in Sunday's Premier League encounter at The Hawthorns.

However, the Baggies halved the deficit on 77 minutes when Gareth Barry poked home from a corner to ensure a nervy finish for the visitors.

"I think we deserved the win," Mourinho told Sky Sports News after the game. "We were the best team.

"I knew and the players knew that West Brom is very dangerous on set-pieces. We controlled the game for a long, long time, then manager Alan Pardew reacts. We had a few chances to kill the game but I knew they would react.

"I think (we showed) less ambition after the break. The intensity in the first half maybe we didn't have in the second half. West Brom are really powerful in the air. But after their goal we controlled the game again. We brought the ball into the opposition half."

The result saw United cut Manchester City's lead at the top of the Premier League table to 11 points.