Boss Pleased With Resilient Reds

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was happy to see his charges secure a safe passage to the FA Cup fourth round following an uncomfortable afternoon against Yeovil Town.

The Reds were made to work for the 2-0 win, which came by virtue of strikes from Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria, and the boss believes that the home side should take a fair share of the credit following a stubborn display.

"It's always difficult to play against such teams," van Gaal told BT Sport. "They gave us not so much time and every ball came under pressure. I have lot of respect for the players and coach of Yeovil Town - it was not so easy for us.

"In the second half, we had a little bit more time and space, we played better and were more patient," the boss added. "We kept the ball better also and, because of that, we could score the winning goal.

"We dominated the game, more so in the second half. They had one chance from a set-piece, but we were organised and Angel Di Maria cleared it away. It's just simple organisation. I think they maybe had one more chance after a mistake from one of my players, but that's it."

The importance of Di Maria’s defensive contribution was also mirrored by that of his late strike, however it was Herrera’s opening goal that earned particularly praise from van Gaal.

“It was class, and not his first from outside the box. It had a little bit of luck, but you need that, I'm very happy for him.”