Monk hails team "togetherness" as key to historic opening day win

Garry Monk hailed the togetherness of his squad after the Swans made history with their first ever league win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Monk's men kicked off their 2014-15 Barclays Premier League campaign in style as Ki Sung-Yueng and Gylfi Sigurdsson fired them to a 2-1 victory over Louis van Gaal's new-look side.

After a closely fought start to the first period, Ki opened the scoring for the Swans in the 28th minute with a precise 20-yard finish past David De Gea, before newly-appointed United captain Wayne Rooney equalised for the hosts shortly after the break.

But it was the visitors who had the last laugh when Sigurdsson secured all three points for the Swans with a cool side-foot finish, just over 15 minutes from time.

And just over a decade after making his debut for the club he now manages, Monk highlighted teamwork as the key aspect behind his side's historic victory.

"I'm very happy with the three points," said the Swans boss. "The key was coming together as a group and working hard for each other.

"To a man, everyone was focussed and together. It would be unfair to single out one player.

"Throughout pre-season, we worked hard to put in place a structure that allowed us to adapt to different formations. It was very pleasing that, for most of the game, we managed to do that.

"We limited them to very little chances, which is very good at a place like this. The only disappointment was that we conceded from a set-piece.

"However, the character we showed to come back is something that we have in the squad."

And despite Swansea's fantastic start to the season, Monk believes his side will get even better.

"Nobody gave us a chance before the game, but we can be better than that," he added.

"We can be sharper and improve in certain areas, but today we were right in many aspects, and we got the right result.

"I'm very pleased overall. We were very good today and showed a great attitude. Hopefully we can have more days like this."

Meanwhile, in contrast to Monk's reflection on how his team performed, Louis van Gaal felt a lack of teamwork was the cause of his side's downfall.

"Today, we didn't reach the level we needed to be at," said the Dutchman. "When you don't play like a team, it's very difficult.

"It's very disappointing - for the players, for the fans, for me and for my staff. 

"We built up a lot of confidence in pre-season, but it will be smashed down after this result.

"But we have to remember this is only one game of many games. You are champions in May, not in August."