EPL: Manchester United defeated by Swansea on opening day
But in the end Manchester United's opening day fixture of the EPL season bore all the hallmarks of its recent troubled past as Swansea City upset Louis Van Gaal's side to win 2-1 at Old Trafford Saturday. Goals from Ki Sung Yueng and Gylfi Sigurdsson either side of a spectacular Wayne Rooney overhead kick ensured the Swans were full value for the three points, CNN reports. Apart from a Rooney free-kick that cracked the post midway through the second half, United rarely threatened or looked like a side capable of getting its league campaign off to a winning start. "It is very disappointing that we have lost our first home match," Van Gaal told BT Sport in his post game interview. "We didn't reach the level we can play at. That is disappointing because we have done it much better and when you cannot do it in your first home match that is disappointing, especially for the fans." The feelgood factor had seemed to have returned to United since Van Gaal's appointment earlier in the summer. A busy pre-season witnessed promising victories over Liverpool, Roma, Valencia and Real Madrid. But Saturday's performance had more in common with last year's disastrous campaign under David Moyes which saw the Red Devils finish seventh, their lowest placing in Premier League history. "We were very nervous in first half, made the wrong choices and that is a pity. In the second half we never played as a team, therefore I'm responsible," Van Gaal continued. "We had more chances than Swansea but that shall say nothing about the result. It is the goals that count. "I thought we would win (when the scores were tied at 1-1 in the second half) but because we are not playing as a team in the second half we made the wrong decisions going forward." Van Gaal intimated later in an interview with MUTV that there would be further signings arriving at Old Trafford before the transfer window slams shut at the end of August.
