A tired-looking Jose Mourinho said his ragged Chelsea side deserved to beat Manchester United in their showcase English Premier League opener on Sunday, but his opponents were unlucky to leave Stamford Bridge without a point.
"We deserved the victory but they didn't deserve defeat," the new Chelsea coach said after his side beat their title rivals 1-0 in a scrappy game.
His beaten rival Alex Ferguson quickly shot back a typical riposte when he told Sky Sports News: "I don't need him to tell me that," adding he thought his side played well and deserved more out of the game.
Mourinho, who took over the big-spending London club in June after leading Porto to UEFA Cup and Champions League victory in successive years, said his side showed great spirit during the second half domination of the game by their depleted opponents.
"That the players have worked together for only four weeks and can create such a spirit gives me great hope for the future," the 41-year-old Portuguese said.
"It was a very very tough game and United played so well they forced me to make some defensive changes I would rather have not made. Still we won, the atmosphere was fantastic. I am delighted to be here in England and want to work hard, win things and make sure I stay here."
Mourinho is under enormous pressure to win a trophy after spending some 70 million pounds ($128.2 million) of Russian owner Roman Abramovich's billions on new players.
Last season under Claudio Ranieri they finished second in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. Super-confident when he took over, Mourinho pledged to do better for the club this season.
He has been working long hours, organising two training sessions a day to get his players used to one another and to his system and spent two weeks with them on a pre-season tour of the U.S.
His side, still clearly learning each others' ways, grabbed their three points with a dogged defensive display.
United, with a league-winning pedigree of eight out of the last 12 league titles, looked more composed, but their balance was upset by absences due to injury, suspension and Olympic duty.
RUN-INS
Captain Roy Keane playing out of position in central defence had a few run-ins with 24.0 million pound ($43.94 million) Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, Chelsea's record signing.
He was not on hand, however, when the former Marseille player headed a cross to Eidur Gudjohnsen after a foray up the right wing by Geremi in the 15th minute.
Gudjohnsen, one of Chelsea's old guard, neatly flicked the ball over Tim Howard whose challenge lacked purpose and he bundled it into the net over the tumbling body of a desperately retreating Keane.
Howard was also at fault in March when Porto, then coached by Mourinho, scored a last minute goal at Old Trafford to beat United on 3-2 aggregate in the second round of the Champions League.
That tie sowed the seeds of the rivalry between Ferguson and Mourinho which was pepped up by some lively pre-match comments from the two before Sunday's meeting.
However it was Chelsea and Mourinho who had the last word as United, missing strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha, lacked bite up front, despite their creative command of midfield through Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Their only real chance came 10 minutes from time when Giggs missed from close range.
Russia captain Alexei Smertin, who spent his first year as a Chelsea player on loan to Portsmouth last season, caused United some grief with his persistence along the left wing, but Chelsea's midfield were frequently pinned back.
"They had control of the second half but we had the chances," Mourinho said. "The three points are here and that's the most important thing."
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