Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that he was "surprised" by the lack of tempo from his side during their 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford this afternoon.
The Red Devils dominated the ball from start to finish but struggled to break Villa down and in the end had to rely on Marcus Rashford's first-half strike to collect all three points.
Van Gaal believes that Villa's defensive mindset made things difficult for his side, but acknowledged that their performance was too lethargic.
"I was surprised that we could not lift ourselves because we played a too slow tempo," he told reporters.
"I know it is not so easy when you have to play against a very defensive team. But nevertheless we have three points and that's the most important thing."
The victory consigned Villa to relegation from the Premier League for the first time.
