Evans: We Showed Courage

Jonny Evans believes Manchester United's players showed courage to defeat Shakhtar Donetsk and ensure any talk of three home reverses in a week was firmly put to bed.

Following 1-0 losses to Everton and Newcastle in the Barclays Premier League, the Reds downed the Ukrainians by the same scoreline thanks to Phil Jones' winner. It was a welcome tonic ahead of Sunday's trip to face Aston Villa and ensures the Reds go into Monday's Champions League draw as group winners.

"I thought we played well," Evans explained to MUTV. "We controlled the game more towards the end when I think they ran out of steam. We looked to pass it a bit better tonight.

"We were a bit sloppy in the first half but, once the second half began, I felt that we started to stamp our authority on the game. We showed courage tonight to play in the right areas and we showed courage on the ball. Players were keen to come and take the ball and I think it played a big part."

The centre-back, who played a key role in keeping a clean sheet, is looking ahead to the draw for the Round of 16 with renewed confidence after United topped a tough section including Bayer Leverkusen and Real Sociedad.

"I think it is a big advantage [to play at home game second]," he stated. "Otherwise people wouldn’t be talking about the fact that it is important. I think it was more important for us to go out tonight and put a good performance in and get another win under our belts. We’ve played well in Europe so hopefully we can carry that on.

"We've done well in Europe. Our league form hasn't been great so we want to carry the confidence from tonight."