After Manchester United beat Everton 1-0 on a memorable Sunday at Old Trafford when Sir Bobby Charlton was honoured, one would expect manager Louis van Gaal to be happy with the three points. But he was far from satisfied with the win.
Anthony Martial scored the solitary goal to give the Red Devils the win and all three points over the Toffees. The goal was also a historic one as it was the 1,000th Premier League goal scored by Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The result saw United move up to fifth spot with 53 points – one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City. On the other hand, Roberto Martinez’s side remain in the bottom half of the table, albeit with two games in hand.
But when questioned about the victory following the game, Van Gaal praised the goal but also claimed that the side did not play well.
“I think it was more or less a stolen victory,” Van Gaal said on Sky Sports. “We didn’t play so well. It looked like we were not fresh enough, despite the extra days to prepare.
“You do not know how the players are going to come back after the international break.”
Everton looked to have got the better of United on the counter-attack and it was the heroics of Daley Blind and David De Gea that saw the home side keep a vital clean sheet. And Van Gaal admitted that the Merseyside club could have scored a goal or two.
“We scored a very good goal I have to say, and I am very happy with the victory,” Van Gaal continued. “But they could have scored two goals so today we were the lucky team
“They played a little bit different than we expected, and we had to change in the second half, and we got better. Still, we have played much better against other teams. The win is the most important thing.”
Special win for Sir Bobby Charlton
Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton was honoured before the game to mark 60 years of his association with the Old Trafford club. The old South Stand was renamed the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and the fans applauded the 78-year-old when he walked out onto the pitch.
And Van Gaal admitted that he told the squad that they had to win to ensure the legend’s day wasn’t ruined.
“I said before the game that we have to give Sir Bobby a victory,” Van Gaal said. “If we lose today, then he would not have had a fantastic day anymore. He was very pleased in the dressing room.”
Van Gaal also stressed on entertaining the fans and explained what the win meant with respect to the race for Champions League spots.
“We also want to give entertainment for the fans, and today they were entertained because of the tension.
“If we lost today, the victory against [Manchester] City is worthless. Now, we are still in the race and have four home matches left.”
