Matic: Points are what matter
TranscriptNemanja Matic says that only points will count come May, but the midfielder wants the Reds to be more clinical...
I suppose overall the most important thing today was getting the three points, wasn’t it? “Yeah, we said before the game: we had to win. We had to take three points to go close to the teams that are top of the league and, as you know, we didn’t win at home for a long time and it was important to take three points, and us players who play at the back a little bit, it is always important to take a clean sheet as we did today. Yeah, we are happy for three points today, [but] not with our performance. We have to do better. But after [the] national team [break], it’s always important to win and to get that three points and of course now it’s time to recover as soon as possible because in just three days we have another game.” They were a couple of big moments in the game. First of all, the penalty that West Brom were given that was then overturned. What did you make of that at the time? “Bruno said straight away that he had the ball first. The referee gave the penalty but VAR is there to see and to make correct decisions. That’s why people need the VAR: to reduce the mistakes and to give correct decisions. So I think that it was not a penalty and I’m happy that he overturned.” And then Bruno kept his nerve, I suppose, after the first one was saved. He kept his nerve and slotted home the second… “Yes, it’s not easy when you miss the first one. Of course, the keeper left his line before, but it’s never easy to shoot the second one. So I’m happy that he had the concentration and that he scored a goal.” And a word for David, as well, who made a terrific save? “It’s not the first time that he made a fantastic save, so we are used to that. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, so I am happy that he showed once again that he’s one of the best.” I suppose if you don’t get the second goal, it becomes a little bit tense. They’re always in the game, I suppose, West Brom? “Yes, we have to improve on that. When we score the first one, we have to kill the game as soon as possible, because, especially in the Premier League, every team has quality, every team is dangerous. One-nil is not enough. They showed also that. They almost scored. They hit the crossbar. So they are always dangerous. For the next time, we have to have more concentration in attack and to try to kill the game early.” It’s still early to look at tables and things like that, but wins like this do make a difference don’t they? “Of course. At the end of the season, no one will ask you how you played. The most important thing is that you collect points. Manchester United wants to win the titles. Our aim is to be in the first position. We will do everything for that and we can do that only as a team.”