Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has praised Sunday's "very important" 1-0 victory over Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Closing the gap

The pressure on Jose Mourinho's side was high ahead of the clash with Spurs, with six points separating the two sides ahead of kick-off and United also looking to end a run of four consecutive draws.

In response, United produced another great performance at Old Trafford, with the single goal from Henrikh Mkhitaryan giving them the win and Ibrahimovic shared the importance of the victory.

"It was very important because in the latest games we haven’t got the outcome we wanted," Ibrahimovic told manutd.com afterwards. "Especially after good performances."

"I think the team has been playing good and doing good," the Swede stated. "But, when you do good and don’t get the win, it seems like you did good for nothing."

“Like I said before, the positive thing is we didn’t lose from the games where we did good," he said. "Today, we won against a top team and they’re just ahead of us."

“We have closed the gap a little bit so if we can play like we did today," the striker admitted. "Where we have control over the game, we play stable, a good performance and get the win – it’s the perfect combination."

Closing the gap

The Premier League has started to enter its hectic festive period, and it could prove to be crucial in the outcome of United's season.

The Red Devils' next five league matches are perfectly winnable, beginning with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, and Ibrahimovic stated that he is confident of he and his teammates closing the gap at the top - with fourth-placed Manchester City six points away.

"If we can get two or three wins, we’re there," he said. "This is the Premier League, this is something new for me as every team I’ve played we’ve been dominating the competitions and controlling the game."

“Here it’s back to front, you never know what happens in the game," the striker stated. "I think the ones that does the less mistakes during the game is the team that wins."

"Today we did that and, if we continue like this for the upcoming games," Ibrahimovic concluded. "We will close the gap. But I’m confident, I’m very confident.”

Manchester United will take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday, December 14 with kick-off at 8pm GMT.