Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal hailed his side’s 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield as one of the most important moments in his illustrious career. The Red Devils’ win saw them move 5 points clear over their Merseyside rivals in the race for a Champions League berth for next season.
Juan Mata scored a fine brace before Steven Gerrard was sent off after just being on the pitch for just 45 seconds. Daniel Sturridge reduced the deficit for the home side but it was a tall order to climb for the Reds before Wayne Rooney missed a last gasp penalty for United.
United have now notched two important successive wins on the trot beating Tottenham and Liverpool. Van Gaal said, “We are playing like a team more than ever and played very good football in the first half.”
The Dutch legend also felt that his side played Liverpool off the pitch in what he described a fantastic first half performance. “We beat Liverpool again with their own weapons and the pressure on the ball. Now the gap is five points ahead of Liverpool and six ahead of Tottenham and Southampton so the moment to win is one of the most important in my career.”
Van Gaal though was honest enough to admit that United dropped their levels in the second half as Liverpool tried to stage a comeback. “In the second half, despite having an extra player, we lost our pressure and lost our shape. We forgot to press the ball and because of that Liverpool could play more easily than the first half and that’s not good.”
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
