Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal delighted with win over Derby County as Anthony Martial stars
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal was delighted with the victory over Derby County after his side had come under huge pressure from the media before the game.
The Red Devils produced one of their best displays of the season to beat the Rams 3-1 at the IPro Stadium. Young Frenchman Anthony Martial was the stand-out performer while Wayne Rooney did his duties of scoring goals.
However, the full-backs Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Guilllermo Varela impressed massively and they could now be set for a longer stint in the side with injuries damaging the squad. The pair were composed and strong throughout at a cold Derby stadium and it will now give Van Gaal the confidence that he can trust the young prodigy’s.
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The win for United means they will be in the last-16 draw on Monday and they will be hoping for a kind tie so they can progress deep into the competition.
Midfielder Juan Mata also scored in the win while defender Daley Blind got on the scoresheet. And speaking on the win which delighted him, Van Gaal said he was very happy.
"“I am very happy. The performance was also very good and I said that at half-time; that we can continue with the way we had played in the first half,” said Van Gaal as reported by manutd.com.“We gave a goal away and it was by ourselves again, but I liked the performance in the first half, it had a lot of confidence and that is back which is very important. The second half was even better, we created a lot of chances and we scored goals. But also we created more chances to score more goals. I am a very happy coach.”"
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United had to bounce back after they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Southampton last weekend. Van Gaal, 64, was well aware that he had to win and the side did that, with many players oozing with confidence on Friday night.
So with that now, the Red Devils have only lost one game so far this year and the Dutchman mentioned that after the game, saying the sides confidence is back.
"“We have won almost every game in 2016 – against Southampton we lost and that was because of the lack of confidence,” Van Gaal continued.“We played at home and the fans were supporting us, so it [our performance] was a little bit ridiculous. But that’s how it was. Now the confidence is back, we dared to play again and in spite of the pressure of Derby County in the second half we met that pressure, we created chances and we scored fantastic goals I have to say. The second and third were fantastic combinations and fantastic finishes as well.”"
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With three goals coming from the Red Devils, the travelling fans had a lot to cheer about. But with a young star like Martial in the side, the fans could be licking their lips at what player they have in their ranks.
The 20 year-old was a danger throughout and gave the Derby City side plenty to think about. And with a special mention on the player, Van Gaal added that he was fabulous.
"Adding on Martial, the boss said:“He started not so good, I think, but I said that to him and after the first 20 minutes he came into the match and he was fabulous. I am very happy that he is a Manchester United player because I think he shall be a great player for Manchester United for a long time.”"