Anger has been the prevailing emotion of Louis van Gaal and his players during their barren six-week run with no victory. The manager revealed the feeling in the dressing room as Manchester United slid down the table and were knocked out of the Champions League by Wolfsburg in a December that was the poorest in the club’s 138-year history.

This 2-1 win against Swansea City finally turned the mood to joy and Van Gaal could also speak of hopeful liftoff into 2016 for Wayne Rooney, whose sublime back-heeled winner broke the captain’s own two-month club scoring drought and placed him ahead of Denis Law on 238 United goals – and a clear second behind Alan Shearer in the Premier League stakes with 188 goals.

Louis van Gaal: entertaining the media, if not Manchester United’s fans | Barry Glendenning Read more

“They[the players] are very angry that we have lost so many games in a row,” Van Gaal said of the four-match streak that started with the defeat by Wolfsburg. “They are not used to that, I’m not used to that, losing four matches in a row. Never – and I have been in this profession for 25 years, so it’s unusual and they are angry, and want to change the situation.”

Of Rooney, he said: “I hope that it can give a boost to him because the goal was fantastic. There was not so much space and still he ran to the first post and did it this way, so it was fantastic, and I am very happy for him.”

The faultlines in this Vas Gaal squad remain, though. The first-half display was reminiscent of the rudderless days two years ago under David Moyes. Rooney may have waited since 3 November for an eighth goal of the season but he and Anthony Martial remain seriously starved of chances. The 20-year-old began the scoring, benefiting from space created by Rooney’s near-post run to head beyond Lukasz Fabianski from the excellent Ashley Young’s cross.

It came just after the break, yet when Gylfi Sigurdsson equalised on 70 minutes United seemed certain to extend their winless sequence to a ninth outing. Van Gaal’s side had not scored twice without the benefit of an own goal or penalty for nearly three months, when Everton were beaten 3-0 on 17 October. This is scarcely credible, given the attacking heritage of the great teams of Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney prove Manchester United’s ghostbusters | Paul Wilson Read more

Van Gaal lined up with three centre-backs, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind and Phil Jones, who was replaced at half-time because of a recurrence of his recent ankle injury. In front of the trio was a disjointed four-man midfield that featured Bastian Schweinsteiger on the left, with Martial and Juan Mata placed further ahead, behind Rooney.

Van Gaal stated the system was a “risk” and so, too, had been the pressing mode employed against Chelsea on 28 December because of the “space behind us”.

It is a quaint claim and will do nothing to pacify fans who believe the 64-year-old is betraying the club’s proud modus operandi of first looking always for the jugular of the opposition.

Still, the welcome three points were attained via the class of Martial and Rooney. If they can hit form together there is hope for the rest of United’s campaign. Martial glided along the left, flipped the ball to his captain and, with a deft flick of his heel, Fabianski was beaten. Is this a sign of a burgeoning partnership? “I hope so,” Van Gaal said. “Now Martial is playing on the left side again, and we have tried that before also, and Wayne in the striker’s position. But we played in another shape, so there are other aspects – you cannot say that is the reason [both of them scored]. I have to say all the players do their utmost best and you can see that but still there is still space for improvement.”

Swansea City are a place above the relegation zone and still have a caretaker manager in Alan Curtis. “I don’t think anything would surprise me,” said the Welshman, when asked if he might still be in charge in two months’ time. “It wouldn’t surprise me if somebody came in tomorrow as well. You prepare for both scenarios. You do what you can do.”

If United had lost and other results gone against them they could have sunk to 10th in the Premier League. Instead, the manager and his squad can gaze upwards and note they are only two points from Tottenham Hotspur in the final Champions League place and nine behind the leaders, Arsenal, in this topsy-turvy season.

It is the FA Cup third round next, when Sheffield United are the visitors to Old Trafford in the third round on Saturday. Then there is a midweek trip to Newcastle United followed by a Sunday visit to Anfield to take on Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

“Now the pressure is lowering, the performance shall be better every week,” said Van Gaal. Until the second half here, it could not have become much poorer.

Man of the match Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)