Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has said that he was pleased with Romelu Lukaku's performance in Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League.

Lukaku was given the nod to start through the middle at Anfield but struggled to make his mark, and he has now managed just six goals in 22 club appearances this season.

Mourinho, however, has said that Lukaku had a "positive" 90 minutes of action on Merseyside.

"I think he didn't have a bad game at all. I think he fought hard, he had good movement, he set up the goal. He gave more problems today than last season when he came for the 0-0 draw. He was lively, he had movement and good interaction," Mourinho told reporters.

"Sometimes his first touch is not the best and he loses lots of balls, but today that didn't happen. He had some good links and fought hard. He's improving, he played positively in the last game against Fulham and today was a very difficult match to play. I think he was positive."

Sixth-placed United are now 19 points off Premier League leaders Liverpool after 17 matches of the season.