United slipped eight points behind Pep Guardiola’s runaway leaders following their 1-0 defeat at Chelsea on Sunday.
It was the 12th time – four with Chelsea eight with United – that Mourinho has failed to win at the stadiums of so-called ‘big six’ clubs – Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool or City.
The run stretches back to a 5-3 defeat at White Hart Lane in January 2015 – the season Chelsea actually went on to win the title.
Mourinho has lost seven of those games, drawing the other five, and is coming under fire from disgruntled United followers for a lack of attacking adventure and goals.
One fan complained about the negative tactics during a radio station phone-in by joking: “We’re like a rich West Brom.”
United’s struggles in front of goal have been put into stark perspective by the free-scoring exploits of City.
The statistics certainly don’t make good reading for Mourinho. Since those three goals in Chelsea’s defeat at Spurs nearly three years ago, his teams have managed only one goal in the depressing run – that also came against Tottenham at the back en dof last season.
Romelu Lukaku was again starved of decent service on Sunday and has gone seven games without a goal. After appearing to have developed a good understanding with Marcus Rashford at the start of the season, the strike pair are now looking far less effective.
Certainly the absence of midfield creator Paul Pogba was keenly felt at Chelsea – as it was in the dull goal-less stalemate at Anfield last month. United appear to be able to beat average teams without the influential France international but struggle for invention against higher class opposition.
Pogba’s return after the international break cannot come quick enough as United bid to make up ground on City.
Another reason for United’s sterile performances has been that Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s form has fallen off a cliff after the Armenian started the season well while Juan Mata wasn’t even included in Sunday’s squad.
At the moment, Mourinho’s only ‘Plan B’ is to throw on Marouane Fellaini as an extra target man. To be fair, it nearly paid off on Sunday when the big Belgian came on as a second-half substitute and was denied an equaliser by Thibault Courtois.
But with all the attacking options at his disposal, United fans expect Mourinho to have more varied attacking plans than that.
Midfielder Ander Herrera claimed United did not deserve to lose on Sunday and insisted it was Chelsea who shut up shop after taking the lead through Alvaro Morata’s header.
He said: “It is disappointing because we came here to win. We pressed them up, we created a couple of good chances in the first half. I think in the first half we all thought the team who scored first was going to win the game.
“Unluckily for us, they did it, and then put five in the back plus four midfielders so it was difficult. We can’t be happy because we lost to a direct rival and there are things to improve but also some positives.”
Herrera admits United now have to stew on their second defeat of the season for two weeks during the international break before they can attempt to get back to winning way against Newcastle.
He added: “When you lose you want to play again as soon as possible. Now we have to wait a couple of weeks.
“But also it is good to have some rest. Some players who have played every game since the last national break so it is good to have a good rest and recover some energy.”
Mourinho’s away run against the top six since January 2015.
2014-15 – Chelsea
Tottenham PL lost 3-5 PL
Arsenal PL drew 0-0
2015-16 Chelsea
Man City PL lost 0-3
Tottenham PL drew 0-0
(Sacked in December 15)
2016-17 – Man Utd
Liverpool PL drew 0-0
Chelsea PL lost 0-4
Chelsea FA Cup lost 0-1
Man City PL drew 0-0
Arsenal PL lost 0-2
Tottenham PL lost 1-2
2017-18 – Man Utd
Liverpool PL drew 0-0
Chelsea PL lost 0-1.