Sunday 19 April 2015 11:32, UK
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney believes they can take heart from their performance in the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea.
Louis van Gaal’s men enjoyed 70 per cent of the possession at Stamford Bridge but Eden Hazard scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea moved closer to securing the Premier League title.
The visitors came into Saturday evening’s game on a high after beating rivals Manchester City 4-2, but Rooney believes their performance in defeat was even better.
“We dominated the game,” he said.
“We’re a team that’s improving. It was always going to be tough to win the title, obviously with Chelsea having a big lead, and today’s confirmed that.
“But we’re a team that’s improving every game, and to come to Stamford Bridge and dominate the game so much, I’m proud of the team.”
Saturday’s defeat halted a run of four successive wins, including victories over Tottenham, Liverpool and last time out against Manchester City.
But Van Gaal’s side look set for a top-four finish to secure Champions League football, and Rooney believes there is plenty to be positive about.
“We’ve been working on a lot of things throughout the year, and that’s our aim – we want to dominate games,” he added.
“Unfortunately today we didn’t take our chances and that’s cost us.
“We have to move on. That’s probably the best performance of the season against the champions-in-waiting, so we can go away from here with our heads held high.”
With injuries to a lot of key players, United started with Radamel Falcao and Marouane Fellaini furthest forward, as Rooney fulfilled a deeper role in which he was often deployed earlier in the season.
The 29-year-old has revelled in playing as a striker in recent matches, but the United skipper says he is happy to play wherever Van Gaal needs him to.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries over the last week,” he added.
“I said before, when I went back to striker, if the manager wants me to play midfield then I have no problem with that.”
