Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that his side were comfortably the better team in the first half of their eventual 3-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night.

The hosts squandered a string of chances before the interval at Old Trafford, most of which fell to Romelu Lukaku, and they were made to pay for that profligacy with a quickfire double from Harry Kane and Lucas Moura early in the second half.

Lucas added a third late on to condemn Mourinho to his heaviest ever home defeat as a manager, but the beleaguered boss insists that he was happy with his side's performance despite the result.

"We were so so much the better team in the first half I wouldn't be worried with that," Mourinho told reporters in his post-match press conference.

"Even with the unexpected 2-0 result, the way the team kept playing until the third goal arrived my message to the players has to be a positive message.

"I'm really happy, humbled by the way the supporters reacted to the boys. I think that was very much deserved but sometimes players don't get what they deserve, so we have to be humbled by the supporters."

The defeat means that United have now lost two of their opening three games of a Premier League season for the first time since 1992-93.