Louis van Gaal was extremely pleased after the victorious match, as the team managed to win another three crucial points. Here is a more detailed comment from the head coach:
Regarding the result:
"I think it was more or less a 'stolen' victory, as we didn't play very well. It seemed that we weren't fresh enough, despite having many days to prepare for this match. During national team breaks, you never know in what form the players come back. I am very pleased with this win, but I think Everton could have also scored at least a goal. Today we were the team that was lucky. Winning was very important because if we had lost, the victory against City would have been worthless. We are still in the race for the fourth place and we have four home matches and three away matches left. The upcoming match against Tottenham is very important. Last year we played exceptionally well there, it was one of our best matches of the season, so I hope we can continue that trend."
Regarding the tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton:
"It was fantastic. It was a privilege for me to see that all football players are respected in the English culture - it is wonderful to see. And when I saw all the fans standing and applauding Sir Bobby, tears came to my eyes. As a kid, I watched Sir Bobby and Jimmy Greaves, who were my idols at that time. Then I met him on my first day at Manchester United and I felt very honored. So, he has always been on my mind, and when I saw the applause and standing ovation, it became clear that he was always in the hearts of all fans. I spoke to Sir Bobby himself and told my players that we had to win today, otherwise the next day wouldn't be as happy and beautiful."
Regarding the substitutions of Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo:
"Daley Blind has been playing in almost all matches this season, so his energy is running out. Perhaps this week I will give him two rest days and that should be enough for him to recover. Regarding Marcos Rojo, I think he has adaptation issues, so I replaced him. He returned from national team camp only on Thursday, but I had to let him on the field."
Regarding Anthony Martial's performance:
"I have said in previous press conferences that at his age, Anthony Martial is exceptional. He plays in every match and what he does must be strong and stable because every week I compare each player with his competitor."
Regarding Tim Fosu-Mensah's performance:
"I thought in the first half, on the right side, there was too much space and when Tim took over that position he looked fantastic. I saw that there was a lot of space left on that side constantly and I told Timothy to take advantage of it. And when a player does that, it's a bit of the coach's success, but all credit goes to the player and in this situation it belongs to Timothy, not the coach."
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