Tuesday 21 October 2014 08:29, UK
Alan Irvine was upset not to claim the win after seeing his West Bromwich Albion side twice pegged back by Manchester United at The Hawthorns.
West Brom went ahead via Stephane Sessegnon's early opener but substitute Marouane Fellaini replied after the break.
Saido Berahino then restored the lead for West Brom before Daley Blind scored with three minutes remaining to prevent Irvine’s side posting their first win over United at home in the Premier League.
He told Sky Sports: “We’re all bitterly disappointed. We were so close to getting a great result against a top team.
“For us not to get the three points feels really tough at this moment. The players were terrific all the way through.
“They worked really hard when we didn’t have the ball and at times we passed the ball extremely well.
“The two goals we got were great goals. We led twice and to be honest I felt quite comfortable on both occasions. We spoke about making changes but I didn’t feel we had to. I felt we were okay.”
Regarding his side’s fast start, he added: “I said before the game that the key was going to be passing the ball well, and we did that.
“We looked as though we could cause them problems. Obviously there were long spells in the game where Manchester United, with the quality they’ve got, forced us to defend.
For us not to get the three points feels really tough at this moment. The players were terrific all the way through.
“Sometimes when you’re in those moments it can be difficult to get out, but as the second half went on I felt more comfortable. “
Irvine thought there might have been a foul awarded for the challenge by Fellaini on Joleon Lescott in the build up to first goal.
“I looked straight away at (referee) Mike Dean to see whether he was going to give a foul or not," said Irvine. "There’s no doubt that Marouane Fellaini bumped Joleon Lescott while the ball was in flight.
“The fact that I looked at him indicates that I thought it might have been a foul, but he didn’t give it and we just have to accept that. It was a fantastic finish by Marouane.”
Overall, Irvine was pleased with his team.
“The players are doing really well," he said. "They’re a great group and do all the things that we ask them to do.
“It’s all very well to work on the things in the training ground; it’s a lot more difficult when it’s out in front of the cameras and the fans, and against Manchester United.”
