Manchester United fell to a late draw at the hands of Arsenal. Ander Herrera provided the opener after he met an Ashley Young cross. However, Arsenal hit back eight minutes from time after a Theo Walcott strike deflected off Tyler Blackett.
Manager Louis van Gaal spoke to the Manchester United fans after the game, and praised the Old Trafford faithful for the ongoing support. “I want to say thank you to you fans on behalf of my players and staff – you were amazing,” he said. He then joined his players, and proceeded to undergo a lap of honour around the Old Trafford pitch.
The Dutch manager then spoke to the press after he left the field, which sees a push for third place unlikely given the position of Arsenal. “You have to finish these games,” he added. “We were better than our opponents for one hour but only 1-0 up. After that, when you can see Arsenal want to get back into it, you have to stick together and play more compact and not be as open as we were.”
United were forced into two changes in the second half, with David de Gea replaced due to a hamstring injury, while Marcos Rojo was forced off due to a lack of ‘match rhythm’, in his return from injury. Radamel Falcao was also replaced prematurately, in what could have been his final game at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal continued, saying: “Of course I am satisfied because we set our goal at the start of the season and reached that goal. From what I’ve seen from the fans, they are very pleased with us and the way we are playing. The fans were so fantastic. How will they react when we are the Champions?”
“I think the difference between Chelsea and Manchester United at the moment is that they can finish the game. They can kill the game. I don’t think Arsenal can do it and I don’t think Manchester City can do it. That’s the difference between the top four. We have to improve.”
Following Manchester United’s ninth draw of the season, they trail Arsenal by two points, who also have a game in hand.
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