Manchester United 0
West Brom 1
by Simon Williams
at Old Trafford

Louis van Gaal admitted on Saturday that his side were in a “rat race” as Manchester United pushes for a place in next season’s Champions League.

United’s 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, the first time since April 1989 they have lost three league games in a row without scoring, saw van Gaal’s sides grip on a top-four finish start to slip away.

“Until the end (of the season) we are in a rat race,” said the Dutchman. “I am aware of that and my players are aware of that.

“We have to keep the confidence and finish the chances because it starts with creating chances and we had chances today to finish but we didn’t do that.

“It is now in the hands of my players and we have to work very hard. We are four points ahead (of Liverpool) but it is now a little bit more difficult than before.”

Despite the three defeats on the bounce, Van Gaal hopes that his players stay confident.

“You need to keep the confidence,” he said.

“That is important when you lose three in a row — then it’s very critical in the heads of my players.

“I was the only one that said it shall be a rat race until the end.

“I am not happy with that but we are still four ahead so we have everything in our own hands.”

The Reds had 80 per cent possession during the game but fell behind midway through the second-half when Chris Brunt’s free-kick deflected in off teammate Jonas Olsson.

Albion keeper Boaz Myhill, who was outstanding throughout, saved a Robin van Persie penalty after Saido Berahino was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.

It was the first time The Baggies had won back-to-back games at Old Trafford since 1959 following their 2-1 win over United under David Moyes last season.

And the three points moved Tony Pulis’s side onto the 40-point mark and almost certainly secured another season in the top flight.

“(I’m) really pleased,” said Pulis. “To come here you have to be resilient, you have to be well set-up and you have to have a team that’s really committed. But you still need a little bit of luck and we got that today.

“This is a massive, massive result for us. It’s now 10 clean sheets since I arrived. But the key to staying up is to get points.”