Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal, has admitted that Juan Mata’s red card at West Brom on Sunday, might have dented their top-four hopes.
The Baggies claimed a 1-0 win over 10-man United at the Hawthorns – their first home league win over the Red Devils in 32 years – thanks to Salomon Rondon’s 66th minute strike.
It leaves Van Gaal’s men sixth, after West Ham overtook them with a 3-2 win over Everton.
The Dutchman, speaking after the match, says he was not happy about Mata’s two first half bookings, which saw referee Mike Dean dismiss him in the 26th minute.
He said: “We lost and you lose contact with the first four or five.
“This match has also an influence on the next match so for us it is very bad, a bad moment.
“It was in my opinion an unnecessary loss, we don’t deserve to lose. When you see at the end that the chances West Bromwich Albion had in comparison with us it is an unnecessary loss.
“It is difficult to create chances with 10 against 11. So I think the decision was for us the turning point in the match.
“His second offence was a foul but is that also always a yellow card?
“You saw the first three tackles of West Bromwich Albion to our players – no yellow cards. But the referee gave two yellow cards in five minutes at the same person.”
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