Mourinho relieved to clinch top spot

Jose Mourinho was relieved to end up top of Group C after seeing his Roma side edge past CSKA Sofia on Thursday evening.

The Giallorossi ran out 3-2 winners in Bulgaria, thanks to goals from Tammy Abraham (2) and Borja Mayoral.

Here's what the boss had to say about the game...

Could tonight’s events end up giving you a bit of momentum this season?

“We can’t create so many problems for ourselves. We can’t be winning 2-0 at half-time, in total control of the match, and then in the second time start losing the ball time after time … dropping too deep and playing a bit too naively.

“Their goals were unacceptable, for me. Obviously I am pleased about the victory and with the fact that Zorya did us a favour. But those are the only things that I really liked. Because there is no way we should be going from 3-0 up to 3-2.”

What did you make of Borja Mayoral? Are you thinking about giving him an extended run?

“His performance was one of the few positives for me. Obviously it was a really nice goal, and an important one for us too. But beyond the goal he scored, the work he got through and the quality he showed on the ball was something I was really happy with.

“I am not going to just talk about his attitude, which didn’t surprise me because he is a boy who always puts in the work: overall the quality of his performance was one of the few aspects from tonight that I really liked.”

How important was it for you to avoid the play-off round?

“We don’t have the squad to compete on three fronts and have two extra games in the middle of February. So for us it was really, really important.

“We could not control what was going on in Ukraine. We were really lucky, though, because two extra games in February would have been something we could absolutely have done without.”