London [England], Sept.22 : Describing the League Cup tie against Northampton Town as `difficult`, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on his side for coping well mentally during their 3-1 victory at Sixfields.

"We coped well mentally with that risky situation. In the second half, we didn't stop until we scored," the Portuguese was quoted as saying by goal.com.

United took the lead first when Michael Carrick smashed his first goal for the club in 556 days in the 17th minute before Northampton's Alex Revell equalized the score for the hosts by converting a penalty corner just three minutes before the half-time.

Mourinho's side, however, produced a spirited display in the second-half, with Ander Herrera and substitute Marcus Rashford scoring two goals within a span of seven minutes.

"Teams from lower divisions, when they reach this level of the competition and they get the big boys, it's a great occasion. They raise the level of their game," he said after ending a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions.

"It was difficult because we arrived at half-time level at 1-1. At half-time, if we were winning two or 3-0 like we should and could have been, the game would be over," Mourinho added.

With the win, United have now set up a clash against rivals Manchester City, who defeated the Mourinho-led side 2-1 in the Premier League at Old Trafford.

Reflecting on the same, the 53-year-old said that his side had got one more chance to prove themselves and, therefore, they were looking forward to it.

"I think it's good for us. We can show again what we want to do. We were very disappointed, because it was in front of our fans against city opponents. Now we have another chance to play against them - I'm sure it will be different," he said. (ANI)