Manchester United vs. Chelsea: Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho Post-Match Reaction

Two of the Premier League's most charismatic coaches went head-to-head at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon in a clash that did not disappoint, with Manchester United sealing a last-gasp 1-1 draw against rivals Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho was left fuming at his side's late concession of two points and also Branislav Ivanovic's red card just prior to Robin van Persie's goal. For Louis van Gaal, on the other hand, it was a match that will have shown his side they can compete with the league's very best.

Mourinho certainly did little to hide his displeasure at referee Phil Dowd's decision-making:

Van Gaal, though, will feel his side deserved three points from the game after an excellent first-half showing in which they greatly unsettled their rivals with their industry and speed of attack.

United created chances for Angel Di Maria, Adnan Januzaj and Juan Mata; however, they were wasteful with their finishing when inside the penalty area. Man of the Match Thibaut Courtois also contributed with fine saves from Van Persie.

For United's manager, the chances created against one of the league's best defences was greatly pleasing:

Per the Daily Star's Jack Wilson, Van Gaal had the following to say in his post-match interviews:

"

We didn't win and that's our fault, not the fault of the opponents.

It's our fault. When you can do that against the best team in the league at this moment it's good. But I would have been very pleased if we'd have won today.

"

However, despite that pleasure at his side's performance, Van Gaal still found time to criticise the captain on the day, Van Persie, for taking his shirt off and earning a yellow card while celebrating his goal:

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

For his complaints, though, Van Gaal was by far the happier of the two coaches following the late turnaround at Old Trafford, with Mourinho stony-faced throughout his own interview obligations.

In spite of losing two points late in the game, the Portuguese was quick to praise the performance of his side at Old Trafford:

The Daily Express' Izzy Horsefield reports that Mourinho was also quick to point out the difficulty of playing away at the famous Manchester ground:

"

To come here to Old Trafford the way we did – it was fantastic to my boys.

Old Trafford is one most dangerous fixtures we've had. The result is not the result we want, but the way we performed means we don't need to look to others.

"

It was the decision to send off Ivanovic that truly annoyed the Chelsea boss, however, leading to his post-match comments regarding refereeing performances. His criticisms, though, extended far beyond that decision:

The details, though, now matter little. What is important is that Manchester United have overcome a tough test relatively unscathed, and Chelsea's gap at the summit of the Premier League has been restricted to just four points, a healthy lead at this stage.

A match between Mourinho and Van Gaal sides was always set to be eventful, as many Manchester United and Chelsea clashes have been in recent years. This occasion certainly did not disappoint.