Louis van Gaal is delighted to take maximum points against local rivals Manchester City, in order for the fans to enjoy the occasion and be proud of their club.
The Red Devils manager has praised the club’s support through the good and bad times during his first season, with over 75,000 packing inside the Theatre of Dreams to watch the hosts triumph over Manuel Pellegrini’s under-pressure side.
“We have showed that [strength of character] often,” he commented was asking about their side’s recovery after Sergio Aguero’s eighth minute opener. “I have more than once given compliments to my players about that because, in all the matches, we are going until the end with a great spirit and we have shown that against City.
“I am very pleased for the fans of course, because they have supported us when the results were not so good and now they are very good. I’m very happy for the fans that they can walk through the streets without being embarrassed!”
The 63-year-old also notably praised Ashley Young – who was named as Man of the Match during the tie – for scoring the club’s first goal of the afternoon, before assisting a further two. “Ashley was Man of the Match and I think that was right. If I had to choose, I would have chosen him,” he said.
Van Gaal also had praise for fellow goalscorers Marouane Fellaini, who gave the Reds the lead for the first time on Sunday. “Also Fellaini is very important in our game-plan and I’m very pleased that he plays for Manchester United and no-one else,” he continued.
“At Liverpool, it was about the first half but we didn’t start so well, Manchester City had the better start. But then we came back into the game because of the assist of David De Gea, more or less, for the first goal for Ashley Young. Then we gained confidence and we performed our game-plan much more. In the second half, we played very well with a lot of pace in our game. I was very pleased with the second half.”
Manchester United now sit four points ahead of Manchester City in third place.
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