Cape Town - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says his gesture towards Juventus fans after Wednesday's 2-1 UEFA Champions League Group H victory was justified.

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It appeared Serie A outfit were on course for victory after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning volley in the 65th minute at the Allianz Stadium in Torino.

However, United showed great resolve as they won the encounter following a superb Juan Mata free-kick as well as a last-minute own goal by Alex Sandro.

The result sees the Red Devils move to seven points in the standings, just two behind the Italians in Group H. Valencia are in third on five points while Young Boys are in last position with just a single point to their name.

Nonetheless, after the final whistle again I Bianconeri, Mourinho walked out on to the pitch while cupping his ear in a provocative manner towards the home fans.

However, the Portuguese explained he was justified to do so after they verbally abused him throughout the game.

Speaking to BT Sports, he said: "In a beautiful Italian city, they insulted me for 90 minutes. I didn't insult them. I just made a little thing.

"I know the millions of Inter fans are happy with that. But I respect Juventus, their players, the manager, the quality they have."

The 55-year-old added of the picking up a vital three points against the Serie A champions, "We performed at a high level. After the goal we had five minutes to wake up again.

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"We were there from the first minute until the last. It is a big victory for us, not just because we needed the points but because it was away from home against an amazing team.

"They are a fantastic team with an amazing record at home. We had to come and not feel inferior. They have more potential than us. Everybody knows their ambitions."