The Dutch keeper felt they needed the win to keep up with the title race.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “I didn’t get a touch for the first 30 minutes because we were playing so well.
“At that point it was all about concentration for me and the defence. In the second half it got a bit more difficult.
“They didn’t have too many clear-cut chances because we defended really well. Rio, Nemanja and Patrice were great but Rafael at 18 played extremely well up against someone like Robinho.
“We never gave them a sniff and a good defence forms the foundation for success.
“It was a much-needed win for us and we need to keep getting three points in all our matches as in a couple of weeks when we play in the Fifa Club World Cup we will miss another game when we are in Japan.
“It is easier when you are on top but we are the team having to chase this time and we cannot afford to drop points.”
