Chris Smalling felt it was a deserved victory for Manchester United on Tuesday night.
The Red Devils eventually overcame a stubborn Hull City to win 2-0 at Old Trafford in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final thanks to second-half goals from Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini.
Smalling told Sky Sports: "We all knew at half-time that the first half wasn't good enough, so it was a job well done.
"We knew we couldn't give sloppy free kicks away, they hit the post from a set-piece.
"We knew how well they set up, we knew it wasn't going to be easy, we played with more tempo and got what we deserved."
United have now won nine matches in a row in all competitions ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with arch rivals Liverpool.