Eric Bailly has praised his Manchester United team-mate Anthony Martial's mentality after the Frenchman came off the bench to net the winner against Tottenham.
The Red Devils defender claims that Martial 'always has that mentality where he is ready to come on and have an impact', after he slotted Romelu Lukaku's flick-on past Hugo Lloris to claim a huge win over their title rivals, report the Manchester Evening News .
This came after Martial was subbed off at half-time during the Premier League loss to Huddersfield a week earlier, when he had been lucky to avoid being sent off.
And while Marcus Rashford got the nod on the left-wing for the visit of Spurs, Bailly believes Martial's mental strength means he can always make an impact from the bench, having already scored four goals as a substitute this season.
"I think we have a lot of very good players in the squad. When one does not play, the others do," he said of the 70th-minute substitute.
"The good thing about Anthony is that he is always here to help the team whenever he is needed and he showed that today.
"When Rashford plays, Anthony always has that mentality where he is ready to come on and have an impact - which he did by winning the match.
"Anthony, mentally, is strong and he showed that today. He is happy and whenever he has a chance he takes it as we saw today."
United remain five points off bitter rivals Man City in top spot, but have got back to winning ways in the league after much-scrutinised displays against Liverpool and Huddersfield.
Mourinho's approach for that 0-0 draw at Anfield was heavily criticised after he mischievously claimed that he did not opt for a more adventurous set-up because Jurgen Klopp kept three central midfielders on the field throughout.
A week later, few, if any, United players emerged with any credit after they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield on their first visit to West Yorkshire since 1971.
United bounced back with a win against Swansea in the Carabao Cup three days later and sent out a statement as serious title challengers by somehow finding a way past Spurs with just 10 minutes to go.
Bailly, who returned to the starting line-up after four-game absence through injury, believes his side have given the perfect response to the barrage of criticism they have received in recent weeks.
"I think it’s normal that there have been critics," he added.
"You have to accept what they say and get back and train well and perform which we have done."