Van Persie hails 'brilliant' Welbeck as Manchester United see off Liverpool

14-Jan-2013 7:30:00 PM

The Dutch striker grabbed his 21st goal of the season at Old Trafford on Sunday as the Red Devils beat their arch-rivals 2-1, but it was his strike partner who stole the headlines

Robin van Persie has hailed Danny Welbeck's recent performances after the England striker guided Manchester United to a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The 22-year-old forward earned the man-of-the-match award after an impressive display and was a constant threat to the Liverpool goal, despite not scoring.

Welbeck played his part in the first goal of the game scored by Van Persie, setting up Patrice Evra's cross for the Dutchman.

Van Persie's effort was his 21st goal of the season as United maintained their lead over neighbours Manchester City and he was full of praise for his fellow forward.

Speaking to reporters after the game the Netherlands striker said: "Danny played really well. He was good in the combinations and played a big part in the first goal.

"A couple of times when we got the ball after they made a mistake he got in and I got in a couple of times.

"He has been brilliant. He is still young and has been really good in training as well.

"He has been working his socks off. He is a very positive guy. He loves to play football and did really well."

Inside Goal.Com

Player Ratings: West Brom 5-5 Man Utd
Sir Alex Ferguson was given a farewell to remember, but certainly not for the right reasons as the Romelu Lukaku-led hosts battled back from three goals down to earn an unlikely point
Player Ratings: Liverpool 1-0 QPR
The hosts put in a dominating performance but Philippe Coutinho's solitary goal from distance was enough to see off a poor performance from the already-relegated visitors
Player Ratings: Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal
Laurent Koscielny's 52nd-minute volley secured the Gunners the win over Alan Pardew's side and made sure they would be playing Champions League football next season
Transfer Talk: Read all the gossips
The Goal.com Rumour Mill is your 24/7 source for all the latest rumblings in the global transfer market.
Who is the greatest CL striker ever?
Enter our competition now and you will be in with a chance of winning one of four replica football shirts. Simply pick your favourite and subscribe to our YouTube channel