The former Manchester United managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faced off for the first time in four years when Besiktas played Galatasaray on Sunday
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer emerged victorious over Jose Mourinho as Besiktas clinched a 1-0 win against Fenerbahce in the Istanbul derby on Sunday.
The former Manchester United managers faced off for the first time in four years during the Turkish Super Lig match at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. They last coached against each other in 2021 when Solskjaer orchestrated a 3-1 victory for United against Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur.
On that occasion, a claim from Solskjaer that Son Heung-min had “conned” the referee caused controversy, which elicited a sharp retort from Mourinho. However, he downplayed the incident ahead of their reunion in Turkey.
Meanwhile, the former Spurs midfielder Gedson Fernandes was the match’s main protagonist. Within eight first-half minutes, he missed a penalty after being fouled by the ex-Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu before scoring the game’s only goal just before half-time.
The result best benefits their Istanbul rivals, Galatasaray. They now have an eight-point gap lead over Fenerbahce in the league with four matches remaining. Besiktas are a distant fourth, two points adrift of Samsunspor, who have played one match more.
Solskjaer has now won half of his six matches managed against Mourinho after enjoying victory just once in his first four. The latter won their first meeting when the former was in charge of an already-relegated Cardiff City on the final day of the 2013/14 season.
However, Mourinho’s Chelsea did trail for almost an hour in the Welsh capital after an early Cesar Azpilicueta goal, only for Andre Schurrle and Fernando Torres to complete a second-half comeback. They would then not meet until the 2019/20 season.
United beat Spurs at Old Trafford, with Marcus Rashford scoring twice on either side of a goal from Dele Alli. Solskjaer’s side then drew 1-1 in north London during that campaign thanks to a late Bruno Fernandes penalty.
Mourinho, though, claimed the most memorable victory in April 2020, winning 6-1 at Old Trafford. Spurs scored six unanswered goals after Fernandes put United ahead from the spot inside just two minutes.
Four, though, came after Anthony Martial saw red for violent conduct. That was the last time Mourinho beat Solskjaer, with the latter now winning their two meetings since.
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2025-05-04 21:30:00
