Jose Mourinho snatches penalty away from ‘untouchable’ Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku with Daley Blind scoring against Benfica
Daley Blind was handed spot-kick duty after Belgian was blocked from getting a free shot on goal
ROMELU ‘Untouchable’ Lukaku was grabbed off of a Manchester United penalty – on Jose Mourinho’s strict orders – for Daley Blind to score.
The former Chelsea striker has been getting plenty of praise from the Special One and the Belgian’s critics have been told to sshhhh.
But Red Rom was robbed of an almost guaranteed goal on Tuesday night when his boss blocked him from having a free shot.
And Mourinho explained - after Anthony Martial shocked the stadium with a miss - he was taking no chances on his £75million striker scoring from 12 yards.
He revealed: "The reason is Martial was the player to take, he took, he missed.
"He was not on the pitch and then the players were happy to take responsibilities, Romelu was happy to do it, Ander Herrera too but my choice was Blind. It was my decision.
“We train, I analyse, I try to make the right decision, the last days Martial didn’t miss one and was taking so many against three good keepers.
"He missed, so sometimes the choice is the wrong one. But then Daley was my decision in the moment."
Lukaku sniffed out a few chances on Tuesday, pulled the trigger a couple of times and played the pass into Nemanja Matic that led to the opener. Beyond that, though, The Untouchable barely got a kick.
United’s win, a fourth successive victory in the Champions League group phase, masks some serious issues up front.
Lukaku’s luck is so far out that when he claimed the ball to take United’s 77th minute spot kick, his boss signalled from the bench for Blind to take it.
Blind, promoted to penalty-taking duties, notched emphatically.
Lukaku’s goals, the nine in 10 stats that people were cooing about a few weeks ago, have dried up.
The big number 9, the man Mourinho hung his hat on when he paid Everton £75m for him in the summer, has stopped scoring.
It is six games since the ball last rippled the net, when he scored the final goal in the 4-0 destruction of Crystal Palace, way back on September 30.
Mourinho must be troubled by Lukaku’s form, especially ahead of Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea, remember, were the team out-manoeuvred by Mourinho when he snatched the striker from Goodison Park in the summer.
The Special One has a few days to work out a battle-plan.
In the pre-Benfica press conference, Mourinho put his man on a pedestal before knocking him down.
He said: "Romelu is one of the players that should be untouchable in terms of the respect of everyone.
“He is playing extremely well for us and, yes, I have to protect my players when I feel they deserve it.
“Romelu always deserves it because what he does for the team is fantastic.
“Playing football for a striker isn’t just about scoring goals.
“So, untouchable in my team and he should be untouchable in support from the fans.
“But fans are fans, they pay the ticket and do what they want.”
