MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND - Jose Mourinho's Manchester United players were accused of sparking a tunnel scuffle in a stormy aftermath to its 3-1 win at Middlesbrough on Sunday.

United remains in contention for Champions League qualification after a hard-fought victory on Teesside, which ended with rival players separated by security staff in the tunnel after punches were reportedly thrown.

Middlesbrough captain Ben Gibson and United's former England midfielder Ashley Young were restrained by teammates as tempers flared.

Mourinho refused to comment, but Boro caretaker manager Steve Agnew said his players were provoked after a stoppage-time row between United defender Eric Bailly and Rudy Gestede, which initially appeared to involve the duo biting each other before replays showed it was merely a heated clinch.

"I'm picking up there's something gone on in the tunnel," Agnew said.

"That many bodies were there, it was hard to tell with all the pushing and shoving.

"What triggered it, I don't know. I've got a group of very well behaved players so I can assure you it wouldn't be one of ours.

"What I would say it would have been a reaction because of the spirit they have."

Mourinho enflamed matters before the match by suggesting he "knew the names" of players he claimed were responsible for the firing of Aitor Karanka, his former Real Madrid assistant who was dismissed as Middlesbrough boss last week.

Mourinho headed down the tunnel at the final whistle without acknowledging his opposite number, though Agnew confirmed the pair had shaken hands in the tunnel afterwards.

"Was this justice for Karanka?" Mourinho said after seeing his side extend its 18-game unbeaten league streak to end a 19-week stay in sixth by climbing to fifth, two points ahead of Arsenal and Everton.

"I think justice for Karanka is the work he did here, people can never delete that. He took the club from the brink of League One to the Premier League.

"I know what I'm saying, he could have left for a bigger club and yet he stayed. Then in the end he loses his job.

"Despite all that's happened, I still think he'll be unhappy we have won, because above all he wants this club to stay in the Premier League."

Middlesbrough's hopes of achieving that are increasingly slim after an 11-game, three-month winless run in the league.

It at least ended its lengthy goal drought as Gestede pounced on a mistake by Chris Smalling to halve the arrears.

Hopes of salvaging an unlikely draw to chip away at the five-point gap to safety were extinguished by Victor Valdes' stoppage-time slip which allowed Antonio Valencia to walk the ball into an unguarded net.

Goals either side of halftime from Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard put the visitor in control.

"It's a big win that keeps us alive in the competition for fourth place," said Mourinho.

Given its presence in the Europa League, United retains two potential avenues to next season's Champions League, and Mourinho added: "Do I prefer to qualify for the Champions League by finishing fourth or winning the Europa League?

"I prefer the Europa League. There's a prestige to winning a trophy."

Agnew, who has no assurances as to the length of his temporary tenure beyond Middlesbrough's next game at Swansea at the start of next month, was pleased with his squad's effort.

"To push Manchester United all the way is something I am really happy with," he said.

"It's a display that gives us hope for the future and I've seen enough of these players to know that they are more than capable of winning games."

Agence France-Presse