Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes the 1-0 win at Liverpool can re-ignite their Premier League title challenge. Wayne Rooney’s 78th-minute strike – the visitors’ only shot on target at Anfield – settled a game low on quality and chances. It left United within seven points of leaders Arsenal and Van Gaal has not ruled out a late charge for the summit.
Asked if he believed United could win the title, he said: “We have a lot of matches still to go. We started 2016 very good with a lot of wins and I think this game will give a big boost to the players and the fans, and everyone in the environment of Manchester United.
“We have to continue, which is not so easy. We have seen that today but we can do it because we show every week we can do it. That is why we are here, to win our games and at end of the season to be in the first three positions of the league.”
Asked whether it was his best day of the season, Van Gaal added: “No, I don’t think so. You have to see it always in perspective. It is a fantastic win for the fans, for me and the players and it will give us a boost, and maybe in that perspective you are right.
“There are matches we have played much better, and in that perspective I can’t say it is a good day because Liverpool were the better team in the first half.
“I have to admit we survived the first half because Liverpool were more aggressive, we could not create anything. They have created in the first half three chances and that was surviving, but to beat Liverpool is always important.
“When I see this game then I think we can still improve but it was still good enough to win at Liverpool away.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp cut a frustrated figure after seeing his side dominate possession and create more chances only to be undone by their Achilles heel of conceding from a set-piece.
“It’s really bad; it’s a derby and in a derby you only have one job to do: you have to win it. That’s the only possibility to be satisfied after the game,” he said. “United at this moment will be happy. You can talk about their performance and it wasn’t that good but they won so they are really happy.
“We played better but feel frustrated because there were many things that were good, but our finishing was not good.”
