Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has stated that he was not pleased with his side's performance against Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday, despite the Red Devils winning the tie 2-1.
United posted their first away win of the season at the Emirates, to move into the top four in the Premier League, thanks to an own goal from Kieran Gibbs and a late strike from Rooney.
The Red Devils managed just one shot on target in the entire match, and van Gaal has now pointed out that his team's performance was underwhelming, especially in the first half.
"I was not pleased with the way we had played in the first half so I don't think it's my best victory with United. Of course, it's an away game against a top team and we have won. But I have to say the first 25 minutes we gave the ball so easily away, it's not possible for a top team," the Daily Mail quoted the Dutchman as saying.
"Arsenal created a lot of chances but fortunately we have a very good goalkeeper in David De Gea and after the first 25 minutes you saw we were coming back in the game. And if Arsenal had score in the first 20 minutes, it would have been another game and then maybe I would have had to respond to all the questions because I had chosen three defenders - but now I can laugh."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, admitted that the Gunners are frustrated to have lost the match, despite dominating their opponents for long periods, but insisted they can bounce back quickly.
The north London outfit failed to make their possession count and convert chances in the first half, and fell two goals behind after the break. Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score a late goal but it proved to be too little too late as United saw off the match.
"It was one-way traffic and we lost the game, we have to take it on the chin. I know we'll be criticised for it but you have to respect the energy levels we put in. We paid for the slightest mistake and it's very frustrating to come away with nothing. We had the best chances and we could have finished better," ESPN quoted Wenger,
"At 1-0 we should have been more cautious not to give the second goal away. There was plenty of time to come back and that's where we made the mistake. In our job when you don't win, you're very concerned but there are a lot of positives in this team. If we can keep this going with the quality and the energy levels we have, we can bounce back very quickly."
Arsenal have fallen to eighth in the league table and will now host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.
