1. This game was a must win so it’s great to get the three points and put the pressure on Manchester City ahead of their game against Arsenal on Sunday. But the football was just awful. United were in control of the game, with 67% possession and 15 shots, but it was so boring to watch. There was no pace, hardly any clear cut chances were created, and the players looked disinterested. At this stage of the season, the points are the most important thing, but you won’t be looking forward to seeing that one back on Match of the Day.

2. The decision to not include Daley Blind and Marcus Rashford in the matchday squad was a strange one. Blind has played 59 games for club and country this season, so maybe his exclusion is more understandable, but it makes no sense to leave Rashford out. He’s played in and started 15 games this season, getting subbed off at half-time on a couple of occasions, and at just 18-years-old, there shouldn’t be the fear of burn out. His season for the first team only started in February. If Van Gaal wanted to rest him, fair enough, stick him on the bench so United have an option late on if they needed. As it was, Anthony Martial picked up an injury in the warm up and we had no striker on the bench. Ridiculous.

3. Thankfully, United had Juan Mata in the team, who was named Man of the Match for his performance. After a first half that saw very little that was positive for either side, Mata turned the game in United’s favour after the restart. He completed more passes than anyone on the pitch, and did so with a 96% passing accuracy. He created more chances than anyone else on the pitch too, and only defenders Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo recovered possession more often than Mata. More important than all of that was his goal though, with a cool finish from not far out to ensure we left with the three points.

4. It was Wayne Rooney who set up Mata though, taking advantage of a mistake at the back from Norwich. Initially it looked as though he had squandered the opportunity, but did well to spot Mata. This game confirmed, as if it was needed, that Rooney is finished as a striker. He didn’t have a single shot over the 90 minutes, on or off target. Given how motivated he must have felt to perform, knowing there were no other strikers in the squad, he will be really disappointed how ineffective he was in front of goal.

5. Still, while Rooney contributed an assist to the game, Memphis Depay contributed nothing. He lasted the full 90 minutes, even if it looked late on that Van Gaal was tempted to replace him with Adnan Januzaj, only to send the Belgian back to the bench from the touchline. Depay just looks totally bereft of confidence. When breaking in to the box with an excellent chance to score, he just ran straight at the defender, and this was a reoccurring theme. He couldn’t take a man on. He’s still worth sticking with and seeing how it turns out though, as he clearly has loads of skill in there somewhere, but he had a terrible day today.

6. West Ham are losing at home to Swansea, but we shouldn’t be surprised if they play considerably better against us, in their final game at their ground before moving to the Olympic Stadium. With our eyes on the Etihad on Sunday for City’s game against Arsenal, it’s fairly meaningless if United can’t play better and win our remaining two games. It seems unreal that United could still finish the season with a trophy and qualification for next season’s Champions League. We’ve been so bad for so long, and it’s just depressing to watch. If we win the next three games though, that’s exactly what could happen, to allow us to finish the year with a bang. But Van Gaal has to go. We can’t suffer another season of this. Watching United is a chore, not a pleasure, and I’m desperate for change.