Van Gaal: Draw A Fair Result

Louis van Gaal praised the spirit of his Manchester United team after a 1-1 draw against Stoke, but the Dutchman is still determined to improve the Reds' record on the road.

United were reeling as early as the second minute when Ryan Shawcross converted from close range to give the Potters the lead, but recovered well and found an equaliser through Radamel Falcao before the break.

Despite dominating possession for long periods, the Reds had to survive a couple of second-half scares to earn a third consecutive away draw.

"I think it was a fair result as neither side deserved more than a point," he told MUTV. “Maybe Stoke deserved it a little bit more than us, they came close when they hit the post. In spite of the space and time Stoke gave us, we didn't create so much. Our build-up play wasn’t great and our last pass wasn't always good. Certainly, our crosses weren't always good. If that’s the case, you can’t create any goals.

“I think our team spirit is always very good, you could see that today. But our performances have to be better. When you get a lot of space and time, you have to play at a higher tempo.”

The result means the Reds’ are unbeaten in 10 games, with the last taste of defeat coming in November, but the Dutchman says United must improve further in order to challenge for the title.

“When you want to win the league you have to win away from home, and at the minute we aren’t doing that," he added. "We aren’t losing, but we aren’t winning either. If you want to be a champion, you have to win these games.”