Manchester United won the 2014 Guinness International Champions Cup title after scoring an impressive 3-1 victory against long-time rival Liverpool in the finals on Monday night at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
Steven Gerrard put Liverpool ahead early in the match after netting a penalty in the 14th minute and the Reds held on to the precarious lead for the entire first half.
However, Manchester United got back in the game as Wayne Rooney scored in the 55th minute, volleying the perfectly-timed cross from Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
Juan Mata then netted a go-ahead goal two minutes after Rooney's beautiful volley before Jesse Lingard sealed the match with United's third goal in the 88th minute.
Louis Van Gaal, who remained unbeaten since being named as Manchester United manager, had nothing but praises for Rooney, who scored five goals in the entire International Champions Cup, which were enough for him to be named as the player of the tournament.
"He's always a winner," Van Gaal said of Rooney via ESPN FC. "I think he deserved to win the award because he made a lot of assists and scored goals. But we also defended well -- there are a lot of defenders who could also have been the most valuable player of this tournament."
Van Gaal knows that his first trophy as Manchester United boss is nothing, considering that it is just from a pre-season tournament, but he pointed out that the win is big for the club and its fans in the United States and back in Manchester as they prepare for their English Premier League debut against Swansea City on Aug. 16.
"It is nice for the fans in the United States and back home that we beat Liverpool, the main opponent for our fans," Van Gaal said. "It is better to win a preparation game than to lose, but the most important is to win our first game of the Premier League season against Swansea City. That's the one we have to win."
The pre-season tournament gave Van Gaal the opportunity to test out his system with his new club, particularly the 3-5-2 formation, and Mata said that they are contented with the way they played in the tournament.
"It's been a great tour and I think we've played very well," Mata said via Miami Herald. "We're still trying to adapt to the new system, the new way of playing that the manager has brought with him. I know it's a friendly, but it's important to get off to a good start before the season."
Watch the highlights of the Manchester United-Liverpool match below.
