Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has insisted that the result was the only thing that mattered in his side's Premier League showdown with Liverpool this afternoon.

Louis van Gaal's side were second best for the majority of the contest at Anfield but stole all three points courtesy of Rooney's 78th-minute winner, which came with their only shot on target all game.

The skipper acknowledged that his side had to rely on a few saves from goalkeeper David de Gea to stay in the game, but believes that the performance was secondary to picking up all three points over their fiercest rivals.

"It was a tough game. Liverpool came on to us a lot and David de Gea made some great saves. Thankfully I got a chance and took it," Rooney told MUTV.

"The performance wasn't that important today; all that matters today was the victory. I think we knew how important it was and there were a few reminders [at half time] from myself and the manager that 'this is Liverpool we are playing, we need to tackle more and get to the ball quicker'.

"I think we did that in the second half. Liverpool made it tough for us in the first half but we got the chance and we are happy with the win."

Rooney has now scored in each of his last four games for United, something that he had not achieved since March 2012 before this afternoon.