Jose Mourinho showed his appreciation to the Inter Milan faithful as they sung his name during Roma's defeat at San Siro on Saturday.
Inter stormed to a 3-0 lead within 52 minutes of the Serie A clash thanks to goals from Denzel Dumfries, Marcelo Brozovic and Lautaro Martinez. Henrikh Mkhitaryan pulled one back for the visitors in the closing stages but it was too little, too late for Mourinho and his men.
In the 73rd minute, as Inter cruised to a victory which sent them top of the table, home fans began to chant the legendary Portuguese manager's name with gusto. Mourinho, who managed Inter for two glorious seasons between 2008 and 2010 respectfully held up his hand in acknowledgement of their tribute to him.
The 59-year-old led Inter to back-to-back Serie A titles during his time with the club while also completing a famous treble with the Champions League and Coppa Italia in 2010. He departed for Real Madrid after scooping all three trophies that year but remains adored by the Italian club's fans to this day.
The strong bond between Mourinho and Inter was summed up during the manager's post-match interview, when he voiced his support for his former club in the fiercely-competitive title race. Inter have a one-point lead over local rivals AC Milan ahead of their trip to Lazio on Sunday evening.
Speaking after the match to DAZN , per Football Italia, Mourinho said: "Inter are Inter, they are the best team in Serie A with players great in every aspect, but with all due respect, there are many 'animals' in their squad – in a good way!
Is Jose Mourinho the greatest manager of all time? Have your say in the comments!
"We needed to be perfect today and we weren't perfect. We did well, but we weren't perfect. It was 0-0 and we had that big chance with [Gianluca] Mancini's header, 10 seconds later they scored with a through ball. The second goal was also a through ball after we lost the ball.
"There was a lack of concentration and confidence for about 10 to 15 minutes before the break. In the second half, we conceded a goal from a set play that my players knew full well how to defend, because we talked about it so much. We had the courage to play and keep going. I prefer to lose after three months against a team that is stronger than us, so I have nothing to say."
The defeat at Inter leaves Roma fifth in the table, five points adrift of Juventus, who have played one game fewer and occupy the final Champions League spot.
