UEFA Europa League 2016/17: Dirk Kuyt dedicates win over Manchester United to his friends at Liverpool

The current Feyenoord captain and former Liverpool player, Dirk Kuyt, dedicated the victory against Manchester United in the Europa League to his friends at the Merseyside club. The match, which was the group opener, resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Manchester club as Tony Vilhena scored the only goal in the game in the 79th minute.

Kuyt, who was a fan favourite during his time at Anfield, has earned cult status among his Liverpool fans for his fully committed style of play. At times he was branded as the ‘Duracel man’ for his ability to run continuously over 90 minutes. During his time at Anfield, the Dutchman made 208 league appearances for the Reds, scoring 51 goals including a hat-trick against Manchester United.

On Thursday night, as his side secured the victory, a beaming Kuyt speaking to ITV Sport, praised the home crowd and also told how his friends in Liverpool would be smiling as well. Now, the captain of Feyenoord, he complimented his teammates in the manner they fought in the game.

“My friends in Liverpool are smiling too!

"This is a night not to forget quickly," he added. "The crowd was great and that resulted in a lovely atmosphere at De Kuip.”

Winning!Proud of the team! Trots op legioen! #Feyenoord #FEYMUFC pic.twitter.com/fs10c0RLhU

— Dirk Kuyt (@Kuyt) September 15, 2016

A poor outing for Manchester United

Jose Mourinho though felt that at the end of the game that Manchester United had deserved more and a draw would have been a fair result. The United manager did complain that Feyenoord player Nicolai Jorgensen was offside in the buildup to the goal, but he must be concerned more about his team’s failure to mount a comeback. Mourinho had made eight changes to the side that faltered in the Manchester derby against Manchester City, however, Paul Pogba, 23, retained his place in a bid to hit form.

The Portuguese lamented his team’s first half performance which he felt wasn’t ambitious enough to win although his team controlled the game and was also critical of his world record signing Paul Pogba who he felt meandered along instead of taking charge.

Dirk Kuyt though showed no signs of age as his team was focussed and kept up their weekend form. Alongside Dirk Kuyt, another ex-Liverpool player, Brad Jones was in goal as he helped the team maintain a clean-sheet. After the game, the Dutch star took to social media to thank the supporters.

The Dutch side is currently coached by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the former Arsenal and Barcelona man and will take on Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven over the weekend. The Rotterdam-based club will hope to continue their fine form as they look to consolidate their position at the top of the table.

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