Louis van Gaal has certainly come under criticism for much of his tenure at the helm of Manchester United, but the Dutch manager finds a way to grind out results when they play their bitter rival, Liverpool. The win today completes the double over Liverpool and moves United back to 5th place on the Premier League.
Liverpool were the aggressor early on and were certainly the better team in the first half. The home side led the charge through midfield with Emre Can putting in an impressive shift with some tough tackling and tireless running.
Can and the rest of the Liverpool midfield continued to force the issue in the second half. However, it was David de Gea who would turn away Can’s two shots on goal, along with one each from Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana.
The match looked as if it was going to end in a 0-0 draw, but it was United’s captain, who played an okay match up until the game winning goal in the 78th minute. Wayne Rooney played the hero once again, smashing home the winning goal, his 4th in his last five matches, sealing the victory for van Gaal’s side.
Although Rooney will end up making the headlines in this encounter, it was de Gea who truly saved United. The four important saves, including two in a matter of seconds has earned him player of the match in this massive English rivalry.
Van Gaal’s men did end up registering only one goal on target, nonetheless, it proved to be the vital and only one needed. Although van Gaal’s tactics and play of his United side may be boring, he does have the distinct honor of claiming four straight wins over Liverpool, a feat that any United manager would be envious of.
United will look to make it 6 games without a loss in all competitions as they host the 10th place Saints of Southampton this weekend at Old Trafford.
