Manchester United vs. Hull: Louis Van Gaal and Steve Bruce Post-Match Reaction
Louis van Gaal hailed his team's performance after Manchester United's 3-0 win over Hull City on Saturday, telling reporters he believed it was the best match the club has played under his guidance, as shared by the Sunday World's Kevin Palmer:
Chris Smalling and Wayne Rooney gave the hosts a two-goal advantage heading into half-time, and Dutch international Robin van Persie added a third goal with a stunning blast from outside the box.
The Red Devils controlled the match and never allowed the Tigers to establish a rhythm, and as impressive as the 3-0 score was, things could have gotten much uglier for the visitors.
As shared by the Premier League's official Twitter feed, the Dutch manager is starting to believe in his squad's chances:
He elaborated on the team's performance in an interview with Manchester United TV, per the club's Twitter feed:
Compatriot Van Persie was deserving of some extra praise for his phenomenal goal, via Palmer:
Not everything went perfect for United on Saturday, however, as Angel Di Maria was forced to leave the pitch with an injury and Rooney was visibly limping after a heavy fall late in the match.
Van Gaal confirmed the Argentina international won't be available for the next match, but he doesn't believe his captain's injury is all that serious, via BBC Sport's Shamoon Hafez:
Hull City manager Steve Bruce was understandably disappointed with the result, telling reporters his team "gifted" United their goals, per theย Manchester Evening News' Rob Dawson:
Bruce talked about some of his decisions, according to Sky Sports:
"โItโs always difficult when you come [to Old Trafford], but the one thing youโve got to do is play well,โ he said.
โWe can say Manchester United played really well on the day because they did, but we certainly contributed to that fact. We made awful mistakes all over the pitch, and in the first half in particular we found it very difficult.
โWhen you come here youโve got to perform at a maximum to get something, and today we found ourselves up against a very good Manchester United team.โ
"
In particular, the manager defended his handling of Hatem Ben Arfa:ย
"But Bruce refused to criticise the France international, insisting it was an overall tactical change as they tried to get back into the game.
โWe had to change something,โ he said. โThe one thing Iโll never do is criticise any individual. Whatโs said in the dressing room will stay there, but itโs fair to see we had to do something to try and stop the slide if we possibly could.
โHatemโs paid for that today when Iโve made an early substitution to try and make something happen.โ
"
The 53-year-old may be facing a lot of criticism for how he has handled the team this year, but as shared by the Hull Daily Mail's Philip Buckingham, the fans still seem to be in the manager's corner:
"Telling late in the game that 2,500 travelling fans sang Steve Bruce's name. Might be pressure mounting but support remains for the manager.
โ Philip Buckingham (@PJBuckingham) November 29, 2014"
The Red Devils now sit within four points of second-placed Southampton, who will take on third-placed Manchester City on Sunday. With three consecutive wins, United appear to be hitting their stride just as one of the busiest parts of the Premier League calendar is coming up, starting with Stoke City on Tuesday.
Hull don't occupy one of the relegation spots thanks to a superior goal differential, but time is ticking for Bruce. The Tigers have too much quality to be fighting a relegation battle, and a solid run during the holiday season could turn their season around in a hurry.
