Jose Mourinho agrees with Leicester City fans about Europa Conference League jibe

Roma manager Jose Mourinho has said that the quality of the first leg against Leicester City on Thursday night was a "credit" to the new Europa Conference League competition.

City came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw with the Italian giants at a buzzing King Power Stadium, thanks to an own goal by Gianluca Mancini, who was put under pressure by Ademola Lookman. The second-half equaliser came after Lorenzo Pellegrini put Roma ahead in the 15th minute.

The draw means that the semi-final now all rides on next week’s second leg in Rome. The winners of the tie will take on either Marseille or Feyenoord in the final in Albania.

“Nobody would believe that this is the Conference League,” Mourinho said in his post-match interview with BT Sport. “(That is a) credit to the competition to have a game of this level, with teams of this level, a referee of this level. I think the game was too good to be the Conference League.”

The eventual winners of the tournament will become the first team to lift the trophy in it’s inaugural season. The introduction of the competition, which City fell into after failing to qualify from the group stages of the Europa League, has been criticised by some pundits.

Former Villa man Gabriel Agbonlahor didn’t hold back in his views ahead of Thursday’s clash, who predicted that there wouldn’t be much of a celebration for the winners. But Those comments have prompted a reaction from City fans, who agree with Mourinho over the inaugural competition.

: It’s a European trophy with some class teams. What planet do you live on?

: It's lazy & apparently "cool" to diss the conference league. However it's given me the chance to travel to 3 away matches to towns and cities in Europe I've not been to before,