Jose Mourinho Appears to Mock Jurgen Klopp After Hull vs. Manchester United

Jose Mourinho appeared to mock Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp following Manchester United's progression to the EFL Cup final at the expense of Hull City on Thursday. 

Per Tom Williams of AFP (h/t Yahoo Sports), Klopp commented that windy conditions made life difficult for his side as they lost 1-0 to Southampton in the competition a day prior. The United manager referenced the comment when asked whether his side would be favourites against Saints at Wembley Stadium on February 26.

"I don't think we are favourites against anybody," he said, per Williams. "It doesn't matter where we play, against who. We are never favourites. Normally, the stadium is windy and it's difficult."

The Guardian's Jamie Jackson also interpreted his comments as a swipe at the German:

United lost 2-1 at the KCOM Stadium but advanced on aggregate, having won the home leg 2-0.

The Special One was somewhat prickly after the match, as he said the Red Devils drew 1-1 on the night, refusing to acknowledge Tom Huddlestone's penalty, per the Press Association's Rich McCarthy:

He also appeared to aim a dig at Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, per BBC Sport's Luke Reddy: "It is enough, I am calm, I behaved on the bench, no sending off, no punishment so no more words."

Wenger was sent off on Sunday and clashed with fourth official Anthony Taylor in the players' tunnel during their 2-1 win over Burnley.

The Mirror's John Cross remarked on Mourinho's comments but also noted the importance of United reaching the EFL Cup final:

It's possible the 54-year-old is attempting to deflect attention from the Red Devils' lacklustre performance on Thursday, which brought an end to their 17-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

Despite leading the tie by two goals, Mourinho still named a strong side to take on Hull—including the likes of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford—and will have been disappointed with their poor showing.

Nevertheless, United are through, and while Southampton present a sizeable obstacle to the trophy, they still have a good chance of winning the first major piece of silverware of Mourinho's reign at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Red Devils can advance in the FA Cup if they beat Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford on Sunday before they take on Hull again in the Premier League three days later, also at home.

If they're to beat the improving Tigers, they will need to put in a much better performance than they did on Thursday.