Louis van Gaal said earlier in the week that FA Cup defeat at Derby could cost him his job. However a routine win over the Rams means the under-fire Manchester United boss will spend the weekend opening up a celebratory bottle of wine instead of packing away his desk.
The 64-year-old admitted in the lead up to United's fourth-round clash with the Championship promotion hopefuls that a loss to the Rams could spell the end of his Old Trafford tenure, as supporters continue to grow weary of his perceived negative tactics.
But he appears to have secured a stay of execution as goals from Wayne Rooney, Daley Blind and Juan Mata earned the Red Devils a fully-deserved 3-1 win over Derby, who had equalised in the first half through George Thorne.
And the victory, which ensures 11-time winners United are the first name into the hat for the fifth-round draw, will now celebrate by opening an expensive bottle of wine with his wife -- a gift from the Reds' chief executive Ed Woodward after Van Gaal led United to a win over Liverpool earlier in the month.
"I come back and my wife is at home because she was in the Netherlands, and the wine is already open," Van Gaal said.
"We drink a nice bottle of wine, probably the most expensive wine, because I have received that from Ed Woodward.
"Because I get always expensive wine when we beat an opponent of out the top six. I don't want to mention the name [of the wine] because it is a little bit extravagant."