Louis van Gaal said Manchester United’s victory over Liverpool has given the side a “fantastic boost” that puts them back in the title race.

Wayne Rooney’s powerfully struck 78th-minute winner lifted United to 37 points, seven behind Arsenal and Leicester City, the joint leaders, and was United’s second league victory of 2016. Van Gaal’s team are unbeaten in four matches in all competitions this year.

The gap to the top has closed for United after Arsenal’s goalless draw at Stoke City on Sunday followed Leicester dropping two points at Aston Villa on Saturday.

“To beat Liverpool is always important,” Van Gaal said. “It was important because our competitors have lost points.” Asked if he believed United could win the championship, Van Gaal said: “We are seven points behind now. We have a lot of matches still to go. We started 2016 very good with a lot of wins – this game will give a big boost to the players and the fans and the environment of Manchester United.

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“You have to see it always in perspective. It is for the fans, for me and the players a fantastic win and it will give us a boost. There are matches we have played much better than today and in that perspective I can’t say it is a good day because Liverpool dominated in the first half.”

Although Liverpool were the better side for most of the match Jürgen Klopp’s team failed to take their chances. Rooney did so to score for a fifth time in his last four games. Van Gaal said: “A striker who scores is always very important and now he is scoring in a row and we are winning in a row. I’m very happy for him but also for Manchester United. And for the fans. Everyone wants to see Rooney scoring.”

Rooney, a Liverpudlian and an Everton supporter, was particularly delighted. “This is a special feeling,” the United captain said. “It is always great to score at your rivals and, against Liverpool for this football club, it is a massive result. On a personal note it doesn’t get much better. For my goal, I know Simon Mignolet is a very good goalkeeper and there were players trying to cover so I just tried to put my foot through it and take whoever was in the way with it! Thankfully it went in and won us the game. Today the performance wasn’t that important – the result was all that mattered.”

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Van Gaal believes there is far more to come from his side. “When I see this game then I think we can still improve but it was good enough to win at Liverpool away,” the manager said.

The one sour note for United was Ashley Young’s injury, the right-back having to be replaced by Cameron Borthwick-Jackson as half-time neared.

“Ashley Young was a big question if he could play, we are overloading him a little bit because he has to play a lot of matches,” Van Gaal said. “I don’t think it is a very bad injury.”

Liverpool remain in ninth place and Klopp was left frustrated. “I didn’t see too many chances for Manchester United and we didn’t take ours,” the manager said. “Of course it is frustrating. We lost a game that we should not have lost. The goal was to defend and we didn’t do it. That is our responsibility. We have to defend set pieces better.

“We did really well creating the chances, but there were a lot of situations where we could have created more chances and didn’t. There were a lot of things but we lost in a derby against Manchester United so I can’t be very positive at this moment so soon after the game.”