Morgan Schneiderlin said Manchester United’s players were “screaming and shouting” at each other in frustration after their first-half display in Sunday’s 1-0 win at Liverpool.
Louis van Gaal’s team went on to clinch three points through a Wayne Rooney goal, which came with their only shot on target, but midfielder Schneiderlin admitted they were frustrated by their inability to win second balls before the break.
Schneiderlin told MUTV: “In the first half, we didn’t win enough second balls. Sometimes we won the first ball but not the second ball.
“When we came into the dressing room after the first half, there was some screaming and shouting but of course that is normal because in a derby you cannot lose the battle.
“Liverpool are a very high-pressing team and we knew if we kept a clean sheet we would have a chance to win the game.
“In the second half we did what we had to do. We scored one goal, stayed strong and, at the end, it is three points which is amazing.”
Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho, who plays alongside Schneiderlin for France, said they could hear United players yelling at each other through the dressing-room wall.
Sakho told French TV channel Canal +: “Football is cruel sometimes but that’s the way it is. We have to make do with it. We have to lift our heads and there’s another match waiting for us on Wednesday.
“United were very lucky today and they know it. We could hear them shouting in the dressing room at half-time, because I think today we ate them.
“But maybe we lacked a little more aggression and a bit more of a winning mentality to kill the game.
“All they needed was one chance where we weren’t there on the second ball and they were able to profit from that chance.”
Schneiderlin added on Canal +: “It was very difficult but like you said the most important thing was to win. It’s a derby and it’s one of the most important games of the season for the supporters.
“We understood that before the game when we met the fans or even at the club the longest-serving players said it was the match we couldn’t lose.”
Schneiderlin also hailed United captain Rooney, whose winner was his fifth goal in four games in 2016 as he has found form after a barren end to 2015.
“Wayne is still the main figure at the club,” the former Southampton midfielder said. “He’s the one guy who has scored so many goals in his career and he will keep doing it. Sometimes you have spells where you don’t score but he has kept the smile on his face and trained hard.
“You saw his two goals against Newcastle were very good and today he scored another amazing goal. We need him in the second half of the season if we are to achieve something special.”
United goalkeeper David De Gea made fine saves from Adam Lallana, Emre Can and Roberto Firmino and Schneiderlin led the praise for the Spaniard.
“David is a very important player in our squad,” he said. “We are very happy to have him and happy that he didn’t go last summer. He is fully committed to this football club.
“When you have a player like this in goal, it’s good for us because we know we are not going to concede many goals and he is going to make some saves. Well done to him.”
ESPN FC’s France correspondent, Mark Rodden, contributed to this report.