Anfield win will fire title belief, says Van Gaal

Man United recorded a 1-0 victory against Rodgers’ former side last week thanks to Wayne Rooney’s victor.

Victory took United to within two points of the Champions League berths and allowed it to reclaim fifth place from West Ham United, leaving Liverpool six points back in ninth place, its top-four hopes fading.

However, according to post-match reports, the catalyst for Louis van Gaal’s side was anything but tame as a blazing row in the dressing room at half-time sparked the Red Devils into action.

The three points against the Merseysiders, coupled with Arsenal’s goalless draw at Stoke City, leaves them seven points behind the Premier League leaders.

“I think the smallest of our problems was our centre-forward”, he said. “In the first half we didn’t keep the ball and we have survived the first half”, Van Gaal told Sky Sports News.

“We lost in a derby against Manchester United so I can’t be very positive at this moment so soon after the game”.

Rooney, who hadn’t scored at Anfield since 2005, broke the deadlock in the 78th-minute with a close-range finish after Marouane Fellaini’s header hit the crossbar.

Rooney’s victor was his 176th league goal for United, a record for a player for one club in the Premier League era, following his 15 league goals for Everton at the start of his career. We were the better team and the better team lost.

“As long as we have enough players to play, we should not think about this”.

Smalling also praised goalkeeper David De Gea, who turned in an impressive display to thwart Liverpool. This game shall give a big boost to the players, to the fans, to everybody in the environment of Manchester United, and we have to continue of course. Liverpool had a number of chances in the game where De Gea was required to make important saves from. “We have seen that but we can do it because we show every week we can do it”. They were not particularly imaginative in attack and failed to really control possession.

“Set-play (Rooney’s goal) was unlucky because we changed some players before – I had to change two positions for defending set plays”, he said.

Over the next two months United travel to struggling Chelsea, host Arsenal in February then in March they will have the short trip across Manchester to place City.

“It is frustrating, because there were many things that were good, but our finishing was not good”, he said.