Man United makes Mourinho smile

Jose Mourinho hailed the spirit of his Manchester United team after it withstood intense late pressure from early Premier League pacesetter Watford to win 2-1 on Saturday and relieve the pressure on the manager's shoulders.

United has endured a miserable start to the season, losing two of its first four matches and slipping well off the searing pace set by Liverpool, Chelsea and Watford themselves.

But goals in three first-half minutes from Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling gave United valuable breathing space at halftime and ultimately paved the way to a victory that ended Watford's perfect record.