Manchester United’s Dutch international star Robin van Persie has revealed that Wayne Rooney’s red card against West Ham on Saturday made the last period of the clash a more difficult encounter than expected, as reported by the Daily Express.
Having followed up Rooney’s opener with a strike of his own, Van Persie saw West Ham put the Old Trafford club’s defence under incredible pressure towards the end of the game, with only an offside flag chalking out an equaliser from Kevin Nolan.
This was the result of Rooney’s red card, which came after he kicked out at Stewart Downing.
As a result, Rooney will be suspended for three games, but Van Persie revealed that the incident could have cost them the game, assuming they had not held out.
He said: “At times it was a bit nerve-wracking but we did ever so well and everyone fought really hard.
“I thought we played really well in the first half but in the second it was a completely different game because of the red card.
“It was a bit frustrating to concede a goal when we did because in that period in the game the only way they looked like scoring was from a set-piece and it happened, just before half-time.
“That was a bad moment for us but I think we did really in the end to win this game. For everyone involved with Manchester United I think this is about more than just the three points.”
It has to be said that West Ham were incredibly unlucky not to emerge from the game with a point, with only staunch defending keeping them at bay.