Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said his side's attacking style would garner more praise if someone else was in charge at Old Trafford.

United completely outplayed Watford in Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win as goals from Juan Mata and Anthony Martial took Mourinho's men to within a point of the Champions League places.

The display belied Mourinho's reputation as a defense-minded tactician and, in what's becoming a recurring complaint from the Portuguese, said United would get more credit if a different person was at the United helm.

"It was a very good performance," he said. "It was the kind of football that if it was somebody else's team, you would say it was 'art', but because it was my team, you will just say it was 'very good'. But that is fine."

Mata's 32nd-minute goal helped United break through Watford's defensive resistance on an afternoon when Mourinho's men had the run of the pitch.

Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was the busiest man in the stadium and after initially keeping United at bay, he could do nothing as Mata slid home Martial's cross from just three yards out.

Martial had been one of those running Watford ragged and when he made it 2-0 on the hour, the game was well and truly over.

It was United's fourth straight clean sheet and while that pleased Mourinho, he knows the club's fans demand to be entertained more than anything else.

"We are not a team scoring lots of goals so it is important to keep the clean sheets," Mourinho said. "I am really happy with the performance.

"When I got the job they were saying at Manchester United you need to play football in a certain way and I agree.

"Sixteen (league) games unbeaten is an amazing record, but it would be the perfect record with two or three fewer draws at home.

"We have an amazing record of being unbeaten, but we should have more."

Martial has recently been in Mourinho's bad books, with the United boss hitting out at the player's agent for openly discussing interest in his client from other clubs.

The 21-year-old French forward had not featured in United's previous three league games, but he was back to his best against Watford, much to his manager's delight.

"I want the Martial of the last two weeks in training," said Mourinho, whose side remains sixth.

"Because then he performs naturally like he did here. He's working very well. I gave him the chance to start.

"Anthony needs to feel that I am looking at him and that I know he did well in training. I gave him his chance and he played well."

Watford battled manfully throughout the game, but offered little going forward apart from the occasional foray from on-loan AC Milan striker M'Baye Niang and Jose Holebas.

A fine second-half freekick from Mauro Zarate that goalkeeper David de Gea did well to block was the brightest moment as the Hornets' recent impressive run ended following consecutive victories over Arsenal and Burnley.

Hornets boss Walter Mazzarri said: "Some of the chances United had were only because of things we did wrong.

"We need to grow as a team all together - passing more and taking less touches.

"If we didn't do these things we've a chance to get at least a point."