Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata admits that the defeat against Chelsea on Sunday was painful. The away side were battered 4-0 by Mata’s former side. United sit on the 7th position, six points off the first placed Manchester City. United were blown away from the start as Pedro Rodriguez opened the scoring for Chelsea in 30 seconds.
The Blues' lead was doubled when Gary Cahill finished from a set-piece, and United were punished for defensive errors again in second half. Mata, who came on at half time, believes that the team needs to be strong together and focus on the upcoming games.
United needs to work hard
The Spaniard explained in his post match interview that the away side kept conceding when they were doing better in final third. He insisted that, “It was a tough afternoon, a very painful result.” Mata further added that United “were thinking about a different kind of game". The midfielder believes that the early goals disrupted United’s game-plan.
United were not able to emulate the solid defensive performance as they did on Monday against Liverpool. Mata believes that the team has to respond against Manchester City on Wednesday in the EFL Cup and he said that the players need “to be strong in mind and face the next game, which is a very important game in these conditions”.
The away fans were incredible
Mata also hailed the travelling away fans for their support. The Spain international insisted that “they kept going for 90 minutes and are incredible.” Jose Mourinho also expressed his apologies to the fans after a poor performance. The Portuguese bemoaned the defensive errors and admitted that United needs to start collecting points now.
The Manchester derby becomes even more important for United after the defeat on Sunday. Mourinho has collected one point in three big games this season; He will be looking to rectify this record on Wednesday as the pressure piles up on the United boss.