Manchester United earned an important win against West Ham United on Saturday, but manager Ralf Rangnick was not entirely satisfied despite the result.
Marcus Rashford tapped home the only goal of the game deep into stoppage time after it looked for most of the afternoon as though United would come up short against David Moyes' side.
Rangnick was satisfied with his team's defensive work after shutting out opponents who had scored 13 goals in their previous five Premier League games and who knocked United out of the Carabao Cup in September.
However, there were still issues further forward, and the interim boss called on his players to improve their play in possession after it took them until the final minute of stoppage time to find a breakthrough.
Will Man Utd go on to secure a top four finish? Have your say in the comments section
“Well defensively I would say yes, because from normal play we didn’t allow them too many chances," Rangnick said when asked by MUTV if he was pleased with the performance.
“And as I said, it was not easy against them, they are a very physical team.
“But I am still not quite happy with the way that we play in possession of the ball, so this will have to be the next steps in the next couple of weeks that we also find better solutions in possession of the ball.”
Rangnick's side registered just three shots on target against the Hammers, but their opponents only managed one over the course of 90 minutes.
There were other opportunities, most notably Tomas Soucek's header from a late corner, but the United boss praised the back-line after the fourth 1-0 win of his tenure.
“I can only remember one good chance they had, the corner kick, five minutes from time," he said.
"From normal play, I can’t remember any situation. We had two or three good ones, especially with Fred, the header from Cristiano in the first half. It was a very competitive and a very physical game.”
The victory sent Manchester United fourth in the Premier League table, overtaking their opponents in the process, and they stayed there after Arsenal drew with Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur lost at Chelsea.
Rashford's late goal came thanks to a combination between all three of Rangnick's substitutes, with Edinson Cavani and the returning Anthony Martial playing a part in the build-up.
Rangnick revealed after the game that he had spoken again with wantaway forward Martial before giving the Frenchman his first competitive minutes since early December.
"Since we last spoke one-and-a-half weeks ago, I told him it's about being professional until the very last day no matter how long he stays or when he leaves," he said.
"I am happy he was playing today, that came on and had a vital role in the goal."
