Van Gaal bemoans lack of fighting spirit

Louis van Gaal was left perplexed by Manchester United’s lack of “fighting spirit” in their meek 3-0 loss at Everton on Sunday.

United were undone by a superb counter-attacking display at Goodison Park, with goals from James McCarthy, John Stones and Kevin Mirallas earning Roberto Martinez’s team a fully deserved victory.

Van Gaal’s men dominated possession throughout, but were toothless in the final third and the Dutchman slammed his players for their lack of intensity as they suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time under his management.

“I don’t think we were equal in fighting spirit to Everton,” Van Gaal told Sky Sports.

“It was very difficult for us after they scored the first goal [McCarthy opened the scoring after just five minutes], but when you see our shots on goal – the fighting spirit was not in the shots either.

“They blocked everything in the second half and then score again on the counter.

“You have to start the game much better than we have started. The first goal, we lost three duels in a row.

“You have to start with the same motivation and aggression as your opponent.”