Victor Lindelof has emphasised the importance of clean sheets and has tasked Manchester United to keep more of them.
After a run of three 1-1 draws on the bounce following the winter break that saw them eliminated from the FA Cup and slip up in the top four race, United finally returned to winning ways as they defeated Brighton 2-0 on Tuesday.
It was by no means easy, however, with the visiting Seagulls making life difficult for Ralf Rangnick's side in the first 45 minutes.
It was only after the break when Cristiano Ronaldo picked up the ball, drove inside and leathered in a shot from outside of the area did United finally take the lead.
Minutes later, Lewis Dunk got himself sent off after bringing down Anthony Elanga as he dispossessed him and surged down on goal but United struggled to seal the win, with Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes squandering opportunities.
Brighton came close to levelling themselves with 10 men, but Fernandes finally ended the affair in the seventh minute of injury time as he ran the length of the half near-unopposed before sticking the ball home.
The victory was a huge relief for United and Lindelof has highlighted how keeping it tight at the back allows for the club's wealth of forwards to get the job done.
"Very important points so of course, I'm very happy for that," the centre-back said.
"It was a tough game, especially in the first-half but I think we came out in the second-half much better, managed to keep a clean sheet and score two goals. So very happy.
"Well of course a clean sheet is always very important, we know if we keep a clean sheet then we have great players up front who can score goals for us.
"I think if we as a team keep a clean sheet then it makes everything easier. Today [against Brighton] we didn't perform well in the first-half but we performed better in the second and I think overall we should be pleased with the performance in the second half and the three points.
"They're a good team, they have good players, even if they have one man less they're still very good on the ball and they created a few chances.
"I still felt confident in the way we defended, I can't run around during a game and think of stuff like that [that Brighton would score] just try to focus on my job and how the team performs."
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