They needed a gift to win it, but Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United controlled Wednesday’s match at St. James Park in such a way that the manager was left glowing.
The Red Devils watched Magpies goalkeeper Tim Krul, dominant for most of the game, give away a pass to Ashley Young in the 89th minute for the match’s lone goal.
[ MATCH RECAP: Newcastle 0-1 Man Utd ]
But van Gaal was thrilled at his club’s overall play, deeming it elite.
From the BBC:“I think we have dominated for 90 minutes, maybe our best match of the season, especially in an away match we deserved the victory.
“We didn’t reward ourselves in the first half.”
....
“It was a crazy run from Wayne Rooney, a lost ball, that shows the fighting spirit in this team. We want to win. All my changes were to win, not to hold the result.”
That they did.