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Ander Herrera might be Manchester United's permanent penalty taker following his thumping strike against Liverpool - but the midfielder admitted he had never taken a spotkick in a game before.

"Never, never," Herrera told MUTV.

"But the manager last season gave me the confidence. He told me I had the quality to take penalties and I have practiced every week.

"And, today, when I received the penalty, I thought the number-one taker isn’t on the pitch, I’m the second taker so I’m happy for that. But, next time, if the number-one taker is on the pitch I won’t be taking it."

Had Juan Mata not been substituted for Anthony Martial, then he would almost certainly have taken it, having converted his 12-yard effort at Crystal Palace last season.

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The Spaniard's strike was United's only successful penalty from their last four attempts until Herrera stepped up. Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie were denied against Liverpool and West Brom before Javier Hernandez's United career ended ignominiously with an awful finish at Club Brugge last month.

Herrera was second in the queue after Van Persie failed but had come off in Bruges, along with Mata, when United won their penalty.

On Saturday, the Basque faced Simon Mignolet, who thwarted Rooney back in March, and explained why he went for power over placement.

"I tried (to put some force behind it) because I knew in advance that Mignolet is a big keeper, very tall and very elastic," Herrera explained.

"I tried to hit it as hard as possible and it was a good goal but the most important thing was the win."

Herrera was excellent in United's victory at Anfield and sampled the atmosphere as a substitute in their 3-0 win at Old Trafford last season, too.

A player used to intense derbies from his time at Athletic Bilbao, Herrera stated beating Liverpool means more than just three points.

"It’s not only a victory," he insisted. "It’s a very special day for us and our fans.

"When I arrived here, I realised what this game means for our fans. I have played three games against them and beat them in every game so I am very happy."