A goal from Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney 12 minutes from time was enough to see off the challenge of Liverpool as the Premier League’s biggest grudge match turned out to be a drab affair that was desperately short on quality.
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With leader Arsenal drawing at Stoke, United is only seven points off first place. We had a good game against Arsenal (drawing 3-3), but then we concede too many goals. “In the first half we didn’t keep the ball and we have survived the first half”, Van Gaal told Sky Sports News. We have to make do with it. We have to lift our heads and there’s another match waiting for us on Wednesday.
“Today is very important because our competitors have lost points”, said the 64-year-old Dutchman.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is delighted to have Wayne Rooney back in form in front of goal. It was a nice victory over a Liverpool side that’s been better under Jurgen Klopp, but they’re still ninth in the Premier League table for a reason.
United stayed two points behind fourth-place Tottenham in the race for Champions League qualification, and moved up a place to fifth thanks to only a second win in nine league games.
Castigated in some quarters for his performances over the first half of the season, Rooney has become the figurehead of United’s mini-revival, scoring five goals in his last four appearances.
De Gea produced two excellent saves to deny Emre Can, one with his feet and the other a diving, one-handed stop to his right.
“I really believe we have a good squad of players, but games like Sunday we need to be winning”.
England team-mates Chris Smalling and Jesse Lingard also started for United, while Phil Jones and Michael Carrick sat among the travelling supporters at Anfield.
“It is frustrating, because there were many things that were good, but our finishing was not good”, he said. “We lost a game that we should not have lost…so I can’t be very positive at this moment so soon after the game”. It is for the fans, for me and the players a fantastic win and it will give us a boost.
Benteke, signed by former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers for more than £30 million, has struggled to secure a starting spot under Klopp, who appears to prefer more mobile forwards than the Belgian target man.
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“All they needed was one chance where we weren’t there on the second ball and they were able to profit from that chance”.
