All eyes were on the Portuguese as he led the Turkish giants against the club he led to glory in the 2016-17 edition of the competition during a two-and-a-half year spell in the Old Trafford hotseat.
Mourinho was at his mischievous best on the eve of a match and he made headlines on Thursday night after being sent to the stands after Youssef En-Nesyri cancelled out Christian Eriksen’s opener.
Fenerbahce’s fans and their manager expected a penalty for a Manuel Ugarte challenge on Bright Osayi-Samuel, but referee Clement Turpin waved away appeals and showed a red card to protesting Mourinho.
Asked about his sending off after the 1-1 draw, the Fenerbahce boss shook his head and told TNT Sports: “I don’t want to speak about it.
“(After the match) the referee told me something incredible. He said at the same time he could see the action in the box and my behaviour on the touchline.
“I congratulate him because he’s absolutely incredible, his peripheral vision during the game, 100 miles per hour, he had one eye on the penalty situation, and he had one eye on the bench and on my behaviour.
“So, that is the explanation he gave me, that’s why he is the one of the best referees in the world!”
Mourinho continued in a similar vein when he arrived at the packed post-match press conference, where he admitted it might be best to soon stop competing in European club competitions.
“I think the best thing I have to do is when I leave Fenerbahce I go to a club that doesn’t play UEFA competitions,” the Fenerbahce manager said.
“So, if any club in England from the bottom of the table needs a coach in two years I am ready to go, and I don’t want to say anything more about it.
“I want to speak about the game. We played absolutely fantastic against a team, in theory, from a superior level. We played fantastic.”
Mourinho said “I don’t think anything” when pushed for his opinion about the penalty decision and laughed off suggestions he could appeal his sending off.
“If I appeal, I will get six months’ ban, so there is nothing to do,” he said. “Since Sevilla-Roma final (in the 2023 Conference League), there is nothing to do. It is what it is.
“That’s why I say if the future is maybe better without European competitions, so I don’t get upset. It is what it is.”
Mourinho’s press conference compared starkly with that of a rather more understated Erik ten Hag, who focused on the positives despite blowing another European lead.
The draw is their third in a row in the new-look Europa League and came a year to the day after United’s last European win against Copenhagen.
“From two tough away games, Porto and Fenerbahce, we take two points, which is a result,” said ten Hag, whose side are placed 21st out of 36 teams in the new-look group phase.
“But of course when you are taking the lead, and especially the way you can see the goal, starting with the free-kick played straight in our block. It shouldn’t happen.
“Then it’s like a simple one cross and a goal. After that and also before that we had chances to make a second goal, so 2-0 up or afterwards 2-1 but we didn’t take our chances.
“I think some great chances. First half, Rashy [Marcus Rashford] was a good chance. The second half also for Rashy, when the final pass then came on the right foot for him.
“That’s of course a pity, and then you are disappointed that you that you don’t win.
“But we have to take the point and at Old Trafford we have to win games.”
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