EPL: For Man United's Juan Mata, only winning matters

Manchester United star admits 1-0 win vs Sheffield was not great & assures victories in next two ties - against Newcastle tonight & Liverpool on Sunday

Manchester: Man United's unimpressive 1-0 win against Sheffield United in the FA Cup over the weekend has attracted criticism, but United midfielder Juan Mata says there's no reason to worry.


Juan Mata. Pic/AFP

Thousands of fans had already left their seats before Wayne Rooney converted a penalty deep into injury time of United's dull 1-0 win over Sheffield United. Mata admitted the game was not United's best show.

"It's true that the FA Cup game was not the greatest in the world, but right now, after some complicated weeks we have gone through, I think we have to give credit to each of our victories," said Mata, going on to blame United's style of play on Sheffield's defensive approach.

"It's not easy to find spaces when you play against teams with so many players defending near the box, but we know we must play better and we will keep having good results."

Positive factor
"The positive thing of this game is that the team kept fighting until the end and that's how we got Wayne's goal. The FA Cup is a special competition and you see surprises every year. We are looking forward to new cup ties," said the Spaniard.

United travel to Newcastle tonight before facing Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, and Mata assured that the Old Trafford outfit is keen to win both of their fixtures.

"We go to Newcastle now and to Liverpool on the weekend, in one of the main games of our season. These are two difficult away games but we want to keep moving towards our goals. Winning both would be a huge boost of confidence now that the second half of the season is starting."

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