Jose Mourinho has admitted that Manchester United's 2-1 victory over Chelsea "feels special" due to the tight nature of the top four and the quality of the opposition.
The Red Devils returned to winning ways in the Premier League after recovering from a goal down, lifting them back above Liverpool into second place in the table.
United now have a six-point gap on the defending champions, who drop down to fifth place, putting added significance on the outcome at Old Trafford in the view of former Blues boss Mourinho.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the Portuguese said: "It is not special because it is Chelsea; it is very special as we beat the champions, who are a fantastic team, who are very difficult to beat and because this is the three points that keep us in second place, which is the place we are fighting for.
"It opens a little gap, not much to Chelsea, and it is a very important result for us. It feels special as the players gave everything. It is not possible to win against a team with the quality of Chelsea without the quality we gave.
"We did not start well, Chelsea started much better, but we found our position on the pitch and found our concentration and we grew up throughout the game."
United have now lost just one of their past 35 home league matches against the defending top-flight champions, winning 20 of those.
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