Beating Man City is an ‘amazing feeling’ says Juan Mata
After overcoming Manchester City in an eventful derby that saw goals and cards at a frantic pace, Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has come back down to earth to talk about an ‘amazing’ win.
The Red Devils left Old Trafford in a very good mood last night and it was no surprise after they trounced their arch rivals 4-2 at Old Trafford in the pouring rain.
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A game that was lit up by goals inside the opening 10 minutes, United came through in the end after an early scare which was given to them by Argentina striker Sergio Aguero who netted within seven minutes.
That was what United need though and they responded instantly through Ashley Young before Marouane Fellaini headed in at the back post to keep up his impressive form under Louis van Gaal. Spaniard Juan Mata then got his name on the scoresheet when he put the ball through Joe Hart’s leg in the second half before Chris Smalling headed home.
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The points were all but secured by then but Aguero made sure the scoreline looked more respectable by tapping home late on. That didn’t change the mood of the United team and fans they partied on until late as they celebrated their first win over the Citizens since Robin van Persie’s last minute strike at the Etihad in 2012.
For Mata, 26, he was experiencing his first taste of scoring against his rivals and he enjoyed it as he pointed the scoreline to the crowd. The £37million signing has been playing very well since coming into the side last month and nothing seems to be changing as the weeks go by.
He is keeping out the likes of Adnan Januzaj and Angel Di Maria at the moment and that should remain the same as United prepare to face Chelsea. However, the feeling is still of the victory against City, and the Spaniard today wrote his weekly blog where he spoke about the ‘amazing’ feeling of beating their noisy neighbours. He said on his personal blog, as reported by ManUtd.com:
"“Beating your Manchester rivals and, on top of that, being able to score in front of your crowd is a truly amazing feeling, especially because we stretch our good moment and we keep adding points.“I may sound repetitive but once again I have to say that the best part is the incredible atmosphere that Old Trafford generates. I have to admit that it was arguably the game with the best atmosphere at home since I arrived to United, and I realised that already during the warm-up… it was a special game. It’s not easy to explain with words what you feel on the pitch, but the thrill of a comeback in a derby is something I will never forget.“Ashley [Young] was decisive to tie the score and also in our second goal, and after that we could control the game and add up three more points that are very important to reach our goal. Perhaps the most remarkable thing, once again, was the character and personality shown by the team after a bad start.”"
The victory for United means they have now won their last six Premier League games under Van Gaal and they are now on course to secure European football next season. They next face Chelsea before taking on Everton in what will be two tricky ties and Mata added that he is looking forward to the next game with his return to Stamford Bridge bringing back memories. He added:
"“From this Monday we are already thinking about our next ‘final’, a visit to the leader of the Premier League. Needless to say that it’s going to be a very special game for me. I already played against Chelsea in the first half of the championship, but going back to Stamford Bridge for the first time will bring me plenty of good memories, for sure.”"