Louis van Gaal was furious with Van Persie for pulling-off his shirt after injury time goal against Chelsea

Louis van Gaal claimed Manchester United’s fighting spirit will take them back into the top four after Robin van Persie’s last minute equaliser against Chelsea.

But the United boss criticised his striker’s ‘stupid’ reaction in ripping off his shirt after scoring the goal, earning him a booking.

United were seconds away from their third defeat this season when Van Persie smashed the ball home beyond 10-man Chelsea’s defence, the first goal of the Van Gaal era in what used to be known as ‘Fergie time’.

Van Gaal said: ‘Chelsea tried to kill the game, they made the pitch big and we had to run a lot but we fought till the end.

‘When we scored it was deserved. We created a lot of chances - far more than Chelsea.

Van Gaal admitted he was furious with Van Persie for ripping his shirt off after scoring. ‘It was a stupid reaction after the goal,’ he said. ‘I can see he was excited but after he was booked it was not so smart.’